B
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the night they stopped Stutsman from sliding. Grade: B.
by Hushpuppie13 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 8 steals
· 1 reaches
The Patriots did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Danny Stutsman fell into pick No. 223. The bottom line is a respectable B.
That interior defensive lineman hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. They will need Jackson to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. A small leak at the table, if not a fatal one.
On the needs board they went 5 of 8, with edge rusher the one that mattered most.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but interior defensive lineman.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 15th pick they get a plug-and-play piece up front. A clean fit for the roster.
Isaiah Bond is a better player than Round 2, Pick 4 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They paid up for Domani Jackson at No. 47 when waiting would have done the job. A minor itch, scratched.
Somehow Jalon Walker was still sitting there in pick No. 68, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Circle this one: Mike Green at the 83rd overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Dylan Fairchild at the Round 4 slot is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A need, and now a little less of one.
Barrett Carter at slot 142 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
The board fumbled Oronde Gadsden II all the way to pick 220, and they scooped it up. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Danny Stutsman in the Round 7 slot should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
A running back of that caliber at slot 241 is the definition of value, full stop. It patches a soft spot without any drama.