B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots cashed the board's mistake on Neal: B+.
by ZS ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 5 steals
· 2 reaches
The board owed the Patriots one, and it paid up: Devin Neal, the No. 78 name on the board, sitting there at No. 143 like a gift left on the doorstep.
Jackson has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through wide receiver.
Nothing here to lose sleep over, and plenty to feel decent about.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 12 they get a quarterback's worst nightmare. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Tyler Warren in slot 38 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It fills a real need, too.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Donovan Jackson. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They let Alfred Collins come to them and pounced at No. 69. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jihaad Campbell at Round 3, Pick 12 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Tate Ratledge at pick No. 77 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Emery Jones Jr. this early at the 104th overall pick. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Devin Neal in the Round 5 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. The roster fit checks out.
Circle this one: Jared Wilson at slot 171 is a fall that decides a draft. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.