B
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Johnson fall and pounced. Final grade: B.
by Jon-Luke B ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 7 steals
· 0 reaches
Thirty-one other rooms let Kaleb Johnson slide, and the Patriots were the ones holding the card at the 142nd overall pick. Highway robbery.
They punted on interior defensive lineman, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. They went 6 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
Good work on the whole, with interior defensive lineman the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 4th overall pick they get a blindside protector. A real need, handled.
James Pearce Jr. at the 36th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Taking Jalon Walker in the Round 3 slot is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
They will replay Tyler Warren at Round 3, Pick 19 for years; that is how good the value is. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Nothing to complain about; Elic Ayomanor went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They barely believed it either: Kaleb Johnson still on the board at No. 142. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Parker Brailsford at pick 220 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Robert Spears-Jennings in slot 223 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
You do not let an offensive lineman like DJ Campbell reach the 241st overall pick and blink. They did not. It fills a real need, too.