B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots turned the phones into found money: B+.
by Rob ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 4 steals
· 5 reaches
The tape said wait; the Patriots did not. Andrew Mukuba went at slot 104, a good 45 picks before the board was ready. More right than wrong, and a B+ to match.
The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it.
Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Milum. The Jake Matthews pickup adds a known quantity to a class of unknowns.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
Deone Walker in slot 8 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Malaki Starks at the 30th overall pick is money in the bank, a safety taken below his worth. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
The board had Colston Loveland higher than No. 35, and the tight end fell to them anyway. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Emery Jones at pick No. 40 is the proof. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Value said wait; Oscar Delp in the 67th pick says they were not listening. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They talked themselves into Aireontae Ersery at Round 4, Pick 3, and the board did not agree. A need, and now a little less of one.
Andrew Mukuba at pick 104 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A real head-scratcher, Tahj Brooks in the Round 5 slot is miles ahead of his ranking. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Wyatt Milum at Round 5, Pick 8 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Jaheim Oatis well ahead of where he belonged. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.