B
New England Patriots
The Patriots robbed the room for Fitzgerald. Final grade: B.
by Hushpuppie13 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 6 steals
· 4 reaches
Call it larceny. Ryan Fitzgerald sat on the board until the 238th pick, and the Patriots did not need to be asked twice.
Every board in the league had Henderson lower, and that gap is the story. The edge rusher spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
The trade work was a quiet net positive. On the needs board they went 4 of 8, with wide receiver the one that mattered most.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
They jumped the gun on Will Campbell, taking him earlier than his grade liked. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Matthew Golden. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A wild overpay on Trey Amos in No. 38, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Tyler Warren at the 69th pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
The board had cheaper options than Tez Johnson at pick 77, and it noticed. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Somehow TreVeyon Henderson was still sitting there in slot 104, and they pounced on premier running back value. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Taking Danny Stutsman in Round 5, Pick 6 is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A real head-scratcher, Xzavier Henderson in the 178th overall pick is miles ahead of his ranking. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They barely believed it either: Cody Simon still on the board at Round 7, Pick 1. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Kobe King in the 220th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
They will replay Ryan Fitzgerald at the 238th overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.