A-
New England Patriots
Grand theft in pick 244: the Patriots steal Gordon II and grade out a A-.
by doconnor ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 13 steals
· 0 reaches
When a board-topper like Ollie Gordon II slides to the Round 7 slot, you do not overthink it, and the Patriots did not.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. The Mike Hughes pickup adds a known quantity to a class of unknowns.
In the end it comes back to Kelvin Banks Jr., and a haul good enough to build on right away.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 15 they get a building block for the line. A real need, handled.
Somehow Jalon Walker was still sitting there in the 38th pick, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A tidy bit of business in No. 41, where Malaki Starks graded well above the range. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Omarion Hampton at Round 2, Pick 14 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Tre Harris at slot 69 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Circle this one: Zy Alexander at the Round 3 slot is a fall that decides a draft. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Donovan Jackson in pick No. 108 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. The roster fit checks out.
Taking Tez Johnson in the 117th overall pick is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Steal is underselling it; Joshua Farmer at the 145th overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Anthony Belton in the 179th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Jordan Hancock at the Round 7 slot is the proof. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
The board fumbled Xavier Scott all the way to pick 222, and they scooped it up. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
A linebacker of that caliber at No. 240 is the definition of value, full stop. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
They will replay Ollie Gordon II at slot 244 for years; that is how good the value is. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.