B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the weekend at the trade table. Grade: B+.
by Rob ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 4 picks
· 0 steals
· 2 reaches
The Patriots looked at the value chart, folded it up, and took CJ Daniels at pick 130 regardless, 47 picks early. Call it a sensible B+, earned the boring way.
The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend. The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 24th overall pick they get a three-down second-level presence at fair value. Need was not the driver here.
Kenneth Grant at pick 34 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the interior defensive lineman. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Nick Emmanwori at slot 98 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A big swing on CJ Daniels at Round 5, Pick 2, well ahead of any board in the building. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.