B
New England Patriots
The Patriots cashed the board's mistake on Fitzgerald: B.
by Hushpuppie13 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 5 steals
· 1 reaches
You could see the war room lean forward. Ryan Fitzgerald at pick No. 238 is the sort of fall that does not happen, except it just did. It does the job without flash, and the B reflects it.
That interior defensive lineman hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. The Jackson reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade.
They went 4 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 4th overall pick they get a double-digit-sack hope. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
By-the-book stuff, Matthew Golden at the Round 2 slot squarely in line with his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Donovan Jackson at the 69th pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Steal is underselling it; Jalon Walker at Round 3, Pick 13 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A clean, defensible pick in pick 104 with a little surplus value in Maxwell Hairston. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Luke Kandra in pick No. 143 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Somehow Jay Higgins was still sitting there in slot 217, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
A top-tier running back at a bargain, Cam Skattebo in No. 220, plain and simple. It fills a real need, too.
Circle this one: Ryan Fitzgerald at the 238th overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.