A-
New England Patriots
Larceny in pick 235 lands the Patriots a A-, Restrepo and all.
by Rob ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 11 steals
· 2 reaches
The Patriots spent the weekend waiting on one name, and it fell: Xavier Restrepo, the No. 16 name on the board, in No. 235. Add it all up and it grades out a clean A-.
Reaching for Warren left real value on the table behind him. 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.
Trust the process, because this time the process plainly worked.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 25 they get an island corner, and a steal at that.
They barely believed it either: Ashton Jeanty still on the board at pick 36. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The board fumbled Malaki Starks all the way to pick No. 67, and they scooped it up. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Colston Loveland is a better player than the 76th overall pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Tyler Warren well ahead of where he belonged. A need, and now a little less of one.
A tidy bit of business in No. 90, where Kenneth Grant graded well above the range. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A top-tier interior defensive lineman at a bargain, Walter Nolen in the 103rd pick, plain and simple. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Derrick Harmon at the Round 4 slot is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jahdae Barron in No. 157 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Somehow Wyatt Milum was still sitting there in the 184th pick, and they pounced on premier offensive lineman value. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
You do not let an offensive lineman like Aireontae Ersery reach Round 7, Pick 3 and blink. They did not. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They robbed the room for Tre Harris here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Xavier Restrepo at pick 235 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.