A-
New England Patriots
Ward should have been long gone. The Patriots pounced, and earned a A-.
by Rob ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 12 steals
· 0 reaches
The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Patriots watched Cam Ward slide 151 picks past his grade and did not hesitate. Add it all up and it grades out a clean A-.
The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. The Patriots clearly valued win-now help, adding bodies who have done it before.
Job largely done: edge rusher settled and 8 of 8 of the wish list covered. They trusted the board more than the depth chart.
Few war rooms will sleep better than this one tonight.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 27 they get a press-man option on the boundary at a price that makes it sweeter. Need was not the driver here.
In No. 29 they get a workhorse for the backfield, outstanding value to boot.
They robbed the room for Tyler Booker here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. The roster fit checks out.
They took Colston Loveland at par in the 59th pick, which is nothing to complain about. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A top-tier safety at a bargain, Malaki Starks in slot 60, plain and simple. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Walter Nolen at the 61st overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Somehow Jahdae Barron was still sitting there in pick No. 87, and they pounced on premier safety value. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A quiet steal in pick 88: Kenneth Grant for less than the market said. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They barely believed it either: Tre Harris still on the board at the 93rd pick. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Tai Felton at No. 157 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A quarterback of that caliber at slot 158 is the definition of value, full stop. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Aireontae Ersery in pick No. 159 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Steal is underselling it; Josaiah Stewart at Round 7, Pick 4 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.