A-
New England Patriots
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Patriots and Wells Jr.: A-.
by erock ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 4 steals
· 1 reaches
The value of the weekend has a name and a slot: Antwane Wells Jr., the Round 7 slot, roughly 42 picks past where he belonged. Little to argue with here, and the A- says so.
The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. That interior defensive lineman hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. If Ferguson pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about.
The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own.
In the end it comes back to Will Campbell, and a haul good enough to build on right away.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get protection for the quarterback at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
A market-rate edge rusher, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jalon Walker. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They barely believed it either: Sonny Styles still on the board at the 67th pick. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Quinshon Judkins at slot 74 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The roster fit checks out.
They read the board right and Deontae Lawson was the payoff at pick No. 103. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Value with a capital V on Mansoor Delane in Round 5, Pick 1, a genuine coup. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Luke Lachey at the 217th overall pick is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the tight end. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
The board fumbled Antwane Wells Jr. all the way to pick 220, and they scooped it up. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
TJ Ferguson in pick 235 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A need, and now a little less of one.