A-
New England Patriots
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Patriots and Restrepo: A-.
by jim D ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 14 steals
· 0 reaches
The Patriots spent the weekend waiting on one name, and it fell: Xavier Restrepo, the No. 49 name on the board, in slot 217. Very little went wrong, and the A- is earned.
Leaving quarterback unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. The trade work was a quiet net positive.
Edge rusher was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
Add it up and few war rooms did better this weekend, Travis Hunter and all.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 14 they get a sticky cover corner, outstanding value to boot. Need was not the driver here.
You do not let a running back like Ashton Jeanty reach the 38th overall pick and blink. They did not. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Steal is underselling it; Tre Harris at No. 48 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Taking Wyatt Milum in the Round 3 slot is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. It fills a real need, too.
Walter Nolen at pick 77 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They barely believed it either: Jalon Walker still on the board at the 105th pick. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Josaiah Stewart at slot 113 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Somehow Nick Emmanwori was still sitting there in Round 4, Pick 14, and they pounced on premier safety value. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Jihaad Campbell in pick 143, plain and simple. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Harold Fannin Jr. at slot 149 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A wide receiver of that caliber at the 217th pick is the definition of value, full stop. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Dylan Fairchild in the 220th overall pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Circle this one: Malachi Moore at Round 7, Pick 16 is a fall that decides a draft. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They will replay Jack Bech at pick No. 241 for years; that is how good the value is. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.