A-
New England Patriots
Larceny in the Round 7 slot lands the Patriots a A-, Ward and all.
by Rob ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 18 picks
· 16 steals
· 1 reaches
The Patriots did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Cam Ward fell into No. 216.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. If Ersery pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about.
In the end it comes back to Travis Hunter, and a haul good enough to build on right away.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get an anchor for the offensive line at fair value.
In pick 26 they get a lockdown presence outside, outstanding value to boot. More want than need.
Ashton Jeanty in Round 2, Pick 9 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It fills a real need, too.
Malaki Starks in slot 50 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Tyler Booker in the 72nd overall pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Circle this one: Wyatt Milum at pick No. 81 is a fall that decides a draft. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
You do not let a safety like Jahdae Barron reach the 87th pick and blink. They did not. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Somehow Walter Nolen was still sitting there in No. 92, and they pounced on premier interior defensive lineman value. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Colston Loveland at slot 93 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Aireontae Ersery at the 108th pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Tre Harris in the Round 4 slot, plain and simple. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Quinshon Judkins at Round 4, Pick 21 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Steal is underselling it; Kalel Mullings at No. 144 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The board fumbled Xavier Restrepo all the way to pick No. 145, and they scooped it up. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Ashton Gillotte at pick 181 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A quarterback of that caliber at the 216th overall pick is the definition of value, full stop. The roster fit checks out.
They robbed the room for Bryce Foster here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They will replay Josaiah Stewart at the 228th pick for years; that is how good the value is. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.