B-
New England Patriots
A solid, sensible weekend for the Patriots: B-.
by ZS ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 6 picks
· 3 steals
· 1 reaches
There is conviction, and then there is this. The Patriots took Dont'e Thornton Jr. a full 38 picks ahead of where the board had him, an overdraft steep enough that it colors the whole weekend. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B-.
The Nolen value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 4th pick they get a blindside protector. A real need, handled.
The board fumbled Walter Nolen all the way to pick 38, and they scooped it up. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jayden Higgins slipping to No. 69 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A slide stopped in the Round 3 slot, with Quinshon Judkins worth more than the price. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Smael Mondon Jr. at slot 106 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It adds depth where they could use a little.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Dont'e Thornton Jr. this early at pick No. 144. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.