B+
New England Patriots
Best value of the weekend goes to the Patriots for Cross III: B+.
by Rob ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 4 steals
· 2 reaches
Somebody in No. 109 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Patriots sat still while Howard Cross III, the No. 43 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. It nets out to a B+, which feels about right.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. They will need Greene III to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 13 they get a run-stuffing presence up front at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
Will Campbell at the 35th overall pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Kenneth Grant in Round 2, Pick 13 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Earnest Greene III at No. 67 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They read the board right and Oscar Delp was the payoff at the 99th pick. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They barely believed it either: Howard Cross III still on the board at pick No. 109. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They reached into another round for Andrew Mukuba, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jalen Travis at the Round 7 slot is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the offensive lineman. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.