A-
New England Patriots
The Patriots robbed the room for Barron. Final grade: A-.
by Rob ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 7 steals
· 1 reaches
Somebody in the 131st overall pick was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Patriots sat still while Jahdae Barron, the No. 60 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. They executed a plan and it shows in the A-.
The cost of the Prather reach is exactly the players who went right after him. The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up. The veteran additions, Joe Alt chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
Add it up and few war rooms did better this weekend, Travis Hunter and all.
Pick-by-Pick
A cornerback of that caliber at No. 33 is the definition of value, full stop. A minor itch, scratched.
Malaki Starks at the 34th pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Steal is underselling it; Colston Loveland at pick No. 84 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Ashton Jeanty in slot 86 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Oscar Delp is a better player than the 92nd overall pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The roster fit checks out.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Aireontae Ersery at Round 5, Pick 2. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Jahdae Barron at the Round 5 slot is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Kaden Prather. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.