B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the night they stopped Leonard from sliding. Grade: B+.
by James B ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 16 picks
· 12 steals
· 0 reaches
This is the pick they will still be bragging about in July: Riley Leonard, the No. 127 name on the board, stolen at the Round 6 slot.
For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain. The future picks help the war chest more than the win-now roster. Wide receiver is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
The Devaughn Vele deal gives the class an established piece to lean on.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 14th overall pick they get a No. 1 receiver. Exactly the need they had to hit.
By-the-book stuff, Marcus Mbow at slot 45 squarely in line with his ranking. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Taking Aireontae Ersery in pick 69 is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Jayden Higgins at pick No. 77 is money in the bank, a wide receiver taken below his worth. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Mason Taylor at the 85th pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Good price on Cam Skattebo in the Round 4 slot, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A need, and now a little less of one.
They read the board right and Dylan Fairchild was the payoff at No. 120. The roster fit checks out.
Kevin Winston Jr. in Round 4, Pick 20 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Billy Bowman Jr. at pick No. 125. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A linebacker of that caliber at the 144th pick is the definition of value, full stop. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
You do not let a quarterback like Riley Leonard reach Round 6, Pick 2 and blink. They did not. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Raheim Sanders at pick 214 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It fills a real need, too.
Ajani Cornelius at the 217th overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A top-tier tight end at a bargain, Oronde Gadsden II in No. 220, plain and simple. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They robbed the room for Jack Kiser here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Robert Longerbeam in the Round 7 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.