B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots fleeced the room on the phones and earned a B+.
by Rob ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 7 steals
· 4 reaches
Call it a hunch or call it a gamble, but the Patriots spent No. 134 on Tahj Brooks, a name most had 41 spots down the list.
The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend. Landing Carter that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.
The wide receiver spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. They went 6 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
Good work on the whole, with wide receiver the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 14 they get a potential shutdown corner, outstanding value to boot. Need was not the driver here.
The board had Malaki Starks higher than pick No. 26, and the safety fell to them anyway. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Nic Scourton slipping to the 34th pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Taking Colston Loveland in the Round 2 slot is close to grand larceny; a tight end that good had no business lasting this long. The roster fit checks out.
They barely believed it either: Abdul Carter still on the board at pick 58. A minor itch, scratched.
A quiet steal in slot 59: Mitchell Evans for less than the market said. It fills a real need, too.
Earnest Greene III at the 70th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Anthony Belton at No. 84 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They reached a country mile for Aireontae Ersery at pick No. 98, and the board is aghast. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Andrew Mukuba well ahead of where he belonged. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Kyle Monangai slid further than he should have, and pick 130 is lovely value for the running back. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A real head-scratcher, Tahj Brooks in the 134th pick is miles ahead of his ranking. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Alfred Collins at the Round 6 slot is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the interior defensive lineman. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.