A-
New England Patriots
The Patriots cashed the board's mistake on Higgins: A-.
by PoppaShart ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 7 steals
· 0 reaches
This is the pick they will still be bragging about in July: Jay Higgins, the No. 118 name on the board, stolen at the Round 7 slot.
The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend. The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer. The veteran additions, Micah Parsons chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
Bottom line, with Nick Emmanwori leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 23 they get a two-high chess piece at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They will replay Omarion Hampton at No. 54 for years; that is how good the value is. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The board fumbled Jihaad Campbell all the way to Round 3, Pick 13, and they scooped it up. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Maxwell Hairston is a better player than the 104th overall pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They read the board right and Oronde Gadsden II was the payoff at the Round 5 slot. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Taking Kalel Mullings in the 158th pick is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Seth McLaughlin at pick No. 217 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They barely believed it either: Jay Higgins still on the board at slot 220. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.