B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Sanders fall and pounced. Final grade: B+.
by jim D ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 12 steals
· 0 reaches
You could see the war room lean forward. T.J. Sanders at pick No. 220 is the sort of fall that does not happen, except it just did.
They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. That quarterback hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but quarterback.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a potential shutdown corner at a price that makes it sweeter.
Tre Harris in the 54th overall pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A running back of that caliber at Round 3, Pick 3 is the definition of value, full stop. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Wyatt Milum at slot 69 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Walter Nolen at pick No. 77 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They robbed the room for Nick Emmanwori here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Steal is underselling it; Jalon Walker at No. 108 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A top-tier edge rusher at a bargain, Josaiah Stewart in the 143rd pick, plain and simple. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
The board fumbled Dylan Fairchild all the way to pick No. 184, and they scooped it up. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Xavier Restrepo in slot 217 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
You do not let an interior defensive lineman like T.J. Sanders reach the Round 7 slot and blink. They did not. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Circle this one: Kyle Kennard at pick 238 is a fall that decides a draft. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
