A-
New England Patriots
Ward should have been long gone. The Patriots pounced, and earned a A-.
by Rob ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 8 steals
· 0 reaches
The rest of the league will want that one back. Cam Ward tumbling to the Patriots in No. 194 is a gift they did not have to think twice about.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer. It is not that Starks is a bad player; it is that the Patriots had louder needs to answer first.
The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own.
Bottom line, with Ashton Jeanty leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 24 they get a centerpiece for the ground game at a price that makes it sweeter.
Colston Loveland at pick No. 34 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending No. 39 on Malaki Starks with edge rusher, safety and other spots unsolved.
A top-tier interior defensive lineman at a bargain, Walter Nolen in the 66th pick, plain and simple. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose defensive back. Jahdae Barron in the Round 4 slot leaves edge rusher, safety and other spots for later.
Somehow Kenneth Grant was still sitting there in the 99th overall pick, and they pounced on premier interior defensive lineman value. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Tre Harris in pick 100 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They robbed the room for Cam Ward here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It patches a soft spot without any drama.