A
New England Patriots
The Patriots robbed the room for Hill. Final grade: A.
by dan ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 13 steals
· 0 reaches
The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Patriots watched Tommi Hill slide 80 picks past his grade and did not hesitate.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher. Orlando Brown Jr. gives the group a proven body among the projects.
Stockpiling next year's capital is patient, if unglamorous, asset work. The roster is better shaped than it was, with wide receiver chief among the fixes.
Few war rooms will sleep better than this one tonight.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 17 they get a centerpiece for the ground game at a price that makes it sweeter.
They read the board right and Colston Loveland was the payoff at the 38th pick. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They robbed the room for Malaki Starks here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Jalen Royals at the Round 3 slot nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
The board had Denzel Burke higher than pick No. 105, and the cornerback fell to them anyway. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
A offensive lineman of that caliber at the 118th overall pick is the definition of value, full stop. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They barely believed it either: Anthony Belton still on the board at Round 5, Pick 6. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Kyle McCord in pick 150 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Jordan Phillips in the Round 5 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Somehow Kobe King was still sitting there in pick No. 165, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They will replay Tommi Hill at the 216th pick for years; that is how good the value is. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Steal is underselling it; Jaylen Reed at slot 219 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
You do not let a linebacker like Jack Kiser reach the 222nd overall pick and blink. They did not. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Ollie Gordon II in Round 7, Pick 22 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It fills a real need, too.