A-
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the night they stopped Winston Jr. from sliding. Grade: A-.
by doconnor ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 7 steals
· 0 reaches
Call it larceny. Kevin Winston Jr. sat on the board until slot 145, and the Patriots did not need to be asked twice.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up. Josh Downs gives the group a proven body among the projects.
The hoard sets up next April more than it helps this September.
In the end it comes back to Tetairoa McMillan, and a haul good enough to build on right away.
Pick-by-Pick
A tidy bit of business in pick No. 14, where Tetairoa McMillan graded well above the range. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They robbed the room for Tyler Warren here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Circle this one: Jalon Walker at the 45th overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. A minor need, but a need all the same.
The board fumbled Aireontae Ersery all the way to the Round 3 slot, and they scooped it up. It fills a real need, too.
Maxwell Hairston in slot 77 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Donovan Jackson in pick 105 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Kevin Winston Jr. in No. 145 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Akili Arnold at Round 7, Pick 1 is the proof. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
No edge and no loss on Trevor Etienne in Round 7, Pick 4; it is a wash and a sensible one. A need, and now a little less of one.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on John Williams. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.