PATRIOTS MOCK DRAFT GRADE C+

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Letter grade with a four-component score, written analysis, and a pick-by-pick breakdown for every selection in this saved mock.

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C+

New England Patriots

The Patriots got the worse of every deal, and it shows in the C+.

by Dpilon1973 · 2025 NFL Draft · 14 picks · 4 steals · 9 reaches
Value D+
Need B
Trades D-
Future A+

The Patriots went off the board in a big way for Arian Smith, 116 picks early. Conviction is one thing; this is another. A weekend of give and take that grades a C+.

Carter falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. They will answer for taking linebacker early while quarterback and tight end went begging.

For all the activity, quarterback went untouched, which is hard to explain.

If Matthew Golden and a couple of the gambles land, hindsight will be kinder than this grade.

Pick-by-Pick

R2.6 · Pick 38 · Matthew Golden · WR · rank 44
They took Matthew Golden at par in Round 2, Pick 6, which is nothing to complain about. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R2.13 · Pick 45 · Donovan Jackson · OT · rank 83
Value said wait; Donovan Jackson in No. 45 says they were not listening. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R3.5 · Pick 69 · Jihaad Campbell · LB · rank 38
Steal is underselling it; Jihaad Campbell at the 69th pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A minor need, but a need all the same.
R3.13 · Pick 77 · Ozzy Trapilo · OT · rank 126
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Ozzy Trapilo. It fills a real need, too.
R3.16 · Pick 80 · Quinshon Judkins · RB · rank 72
A slide stopped in the 80th overall pick, with Quinshon Judkins worth more than the price. A need, and now a little less of one.
R4.3 · Pick 104 · Jaeden Roberts · OG · rank 155
A big swing on Jaeden Roberts at pick 104, well ahead of any board in the building. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R4.14 · Pick 115 · Barrett Carter · LB · rank 80
A curious use of pick No. 115. Quarterback and tight end needed the pick; a linebacker in Barrett Carter did not.
R5.6 · Pick 143 · Shilo Sanders · S · rank 238
Shilo Sanders at the 143rd overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R5.11 · Pick 148 · Pat Bryant · WR · rank 139
Nice patience on Pat Bryant, who had no business lasting to slot 148. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R5.13 · Pick 150 · Dayon Hayes · DE-EDGE · rank 264
This one needs a full-page explanation: Dayon Hayes in No. 150, miles early. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R5.36 · Pick 173 · Ty Hamilton · DT · rank 199
Ty Hamilton at Round 5, Pick 36 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R7.1 · Pick 217 · Will Sheppard · WR · rank 288
They reached a country mile for Will Sheppard at the Round 7 slot, and the board is aghast. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R7.4 · Pick 220 · Micah Morris · OG · rank 267
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Micah Morris well ahead of where he belonged. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R7.22 · Pick 238 · Arian Smith · WR · rank 354
They talked themselves into Arian Smith at pick 238, and the board did not agree. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
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