B+
New England Patriots
Grand theft in No. 255: the Patriots steal Fitzgerald and grade out a B+.
by hewdog23 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 6 steals
· 1 reaches
The Patriots spent the weekend waiting on one name, and it fell: Ryan Fitzgerald, the No. 118 name on the board, in slot 255. It does the job without flash, and the B+ reflects it.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. The wide receiver hole is the one line item this class does not answer. Adding Deebo Samuel by trade rounds out the weekend beyond the rookies.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but wide receiver.
Pick-by-Pick
Abdul Carter in slot 4 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A reach on Marcus Mbow in No. 38; the board had better options right there. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
The board fumbled Jihaad Campbell all the way to the 69th pick, and they scooped it up. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
They will replay Harold Fannin Jr. at the 105th overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. A need, and now a little less of one.
Sebastian Castro at pick No. 145 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Willie Lampkin in the Round 7 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. The roster fit checks out.
Cam Skattebo at pick 222 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Taking Ryan Fitzgerald in Round 7, Pick 37 is close to grand larceny; a specialist that good had no business lasting this long. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.