B+
New England Patriots
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Patriots and Ward: B+.
by jim D ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 12 steals
· 0 reaches
Every so often the board makes a mistake, and the Patriots were there to profit. Cam Ward, the No. 7 name on the board, should have been long gone before No. 178. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B+.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. The veteran additions, Justin Jefferson chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
Fair-plus on Travis Hunter, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
In pick 22 they get a premier pass rusher, and a steal at that. Exactly the need they had to hit.
You do not let a running back like Ashton Jeanty reach pick No. 38 and blink. They did not. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A top-tier offensive lineman at a bargain, Josh Simmons in the 57th pick, plain and simple. The roster fit checks out.
Circle this one: Jalon Walker at No. 87 is a fall that decides a draft. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Malaki Starks in Round 4, Pick 3 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A tight end of that caliber at slot 119 is the definition of value, full stop. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Walter Nolen at the 138th overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Taking Tre Harris in slot 139 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Jihaad Campbell in the Round 5 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Armand Membou at the 158th overall pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It fills a real need, too.
They barely believed it either: Cam Ward still on the board at the 178th pick. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Josaiah Stewart in pick No. 179 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.