B
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the night they stopped Skattebo from sliding. Grade: B.
by richardchic1 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 5 steals
· 2 reaches
When a board-topper like Cam Skattebo slides to the Round 7 slot, you do not overthink it, and the Patriots did not. The bottom line is a respectable B.
Every board in the league had Mbow lower, and that gap is the story. That interior defensive lineman hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
Abdul Carter in the Round 1 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Marcus Mbow well ahead of where he belonged. It fills a real need, too.
Xavier Watts at Round 3, Pick 5 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Elic Ayomanor at pick 83 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Luke Kandra. The roster fit checks out.
A linebacker of that caliber at the 124th overall pick is the definition of value, full stop. A minor itch, scratched.
Somehow Maxwell Hairston was still sitting there in the 143rd pick, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They robbed the room for Cam Skattebo here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Jaishawn Barham at No. 220. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
They took Shilo Sanders at par in the Round 7 slot, which is nothing to complain about. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.