A
New England Patriots
The Patriots cashed the board's mistake on Perkins Jr.: A.
by PattyOSnipes ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 8 steals
· 3 reaches
The Patriots did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Harold Perkins Jr. fell into the Round 7 slot. One of the weekend's best, top to bottom, and a A to show for it.
If Horn Jr. pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast.
The Campbell pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with interior defensive lineman and quarterback still on the board. A whole weekend of picks and interior defensive lineman is somehow still a want.
Bottom line, with Luther Burden III leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 14 they get an anchor for the offensive line. A clean fit for the roster.
By-the-book stuff, Jack Sawyer at pick 19 squarely in line with his ranking. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
In No. 31 they get a difference-maker at receiver, outstanding value to boot. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
A safety of that caliber at the 36th pick is the definition of value, full stop. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A tidy bit of business in pick No. 42, where Jalon Walker graded well above the range. A minor itch, scratched.
Tyler Warren at the Round 3 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A need, and now a little less of one.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending the 74th overall pick on Jihaad Campbell with interior defensive lineman and quarterback unsolved.
Taking TreVeyon Henderson in slot 79 is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They talked themselves into Ozzy Trapilo at slot 93, and the board did not agree. The roster fit checks out.
Domani Jackson at the 117th overall pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They will replay Harold Perkins Jr. at pick No. 219 for years; that is how good the value is. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Trevor Etienne at Round 7, Pick 4 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Jimmy Horn Jr.. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.