A
New England Patriots
The Patriots robbed the room for Bassa. Final grade: A.
by dspencer68 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 11 steals
· 0 reaches
Somewhere a general manager is explaining how Jeffrey Bassa got past him. The Patriots do not have to explain a thing at Round 7, Pick 4. A near-flawless weekend of work, and a A to cap it.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. The edge rusher spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. The Patriots paired the rookies with proven help, Cooper DeJean leading the way.
Few war rooms will sleep better than this one tonight.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 14th pick they get a centerpiece for the ground game, and a steal at that. A clean fit for the roster.
You do not let a safety like Malaki Starks reach slot 38 and blink. They did not. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Dylan Fairchild at pick No. 62 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the offensive lineman. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
The board fumbled Jihaad Campbell all the way to the Round 3 slot, and they scooped it up. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Good price on Omarr Norman-Lott in pick 81, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
By-the-book stuff, Tez Johnson at the 89th overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A tight end of that caliber at Round 4, Pick 3 is the definition of value, full stop. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Taking Jake Majors in No. 117 is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. It fills a real need, too.
Keon Sabb in Round 4, Pick 25 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Chris Paul Jr. in slot 143, plain and simple. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
They barely believed it either: Danny Stutsman still on the board at No. 164. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
They will replay Addison West at pick 217 for years; that is how good the value is. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Steal is underselling it; Jeffrey Bassa at the Round 7 slot is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
They robbed the room for Phil Mafah here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.