A
New England Patriots
Larceny in slot 238 lands the Patriots a A, Fitzgerald and all.
by dan ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 5 steals
· 0 reaches
Somewhere a general manager is explaining how Ryan Fitzgerald got past him. The Patriots do not have to explain a thing at the 238th overall pick. The board rewarded a patient, disciplined weekend with a A.
They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain.
Adding Cooper Kupp by trade rounds out the weekend beyond the rookies. It is a bet on later, and a defensible one for a team playing the long game.
Add it up and this is about as clean as a draft weekend gets.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 4 they get an anchor for the defensive front at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Jihaad Campbell in the 69th overall pick, plain and simple. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Gunnar Helm at Round 3, Pick 13 is money in the bank, a tight end taken below his worth. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Cam Skattebo in the Round 4 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The roster fit checks out.
Jonah Monheim at the 217th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They robbed the room for Smael Mondon Jr. here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Ryan Fitzgerald in pick No. 238 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Stacking talent where they were already deep.