B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the weekend at the trade table. Grade: B+.
by Jasonmroll14 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 4 reaches
Some picks age like wine; Seth McLaughlin at the 218th pick will need to, sitting 35 spots clear of his grade. Call it a sensible B+, earned the boring way.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. If one pick saves this weekend, it is King.
Deonte Banks gives the group a proven body among the projects.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 9th overall pick they get a building block for the line at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
Bear Alexander at the 40th pick jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Rod Moore at slot 41 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
The board had Devin Neal higher than the Round 3 slot, and the running back fell to them anyway. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They paid up for Patrick Payton at Round 3, Pick 21 when waiting would have done the job. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A big swing on Jake Briningstool at pick No. 108, well ahead of any board in the building. The roster fit checks out.
They let Elic Ayomanor come to them and pounced at the 144th overall pick. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A clean, defensible pick in No. 216 with a little surplus value in Armand Membou. It fills a real need, too.
Seth McLaughlin at pick 218 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A top-tier quarterback at a bargain, Haynes King in the Round 7 slot, plain and simple. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.