B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the night they stopped Johnson from sliding. Grade: B-.
by Hushpuppie13 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 4 steals
· 2 reaches
Somewhere a general manager is explaining how Tez Johnson got past him. The Patriots do not have to explain a thing at Round 5, Pick 6. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B-.
They will need Henderson to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. The safety hole is the one line item this class does not answer. They went 5 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but safety.
Pick-by-Pick
No edge and no loss on Matthew Golden in No. 4; it is a wash and a sensible one. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They took Jonah Savaiinaea at par in pick No. 38, which is nothing to complain about. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They paid sticker price for Kyle Kennard in slot 69, and that is fine. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A real head-scratcher, Zy Alexander in Round 3, Pick 13 is miles ahead of his ranking. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A quiet steal in the Round 4 slot: Charles Grant for less than the market said. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They barely believed it either: Tez Johnson still on the board at pick 144. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Steal is underselling it; Raheim Sanders at the 217th pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Somehow CJ West was still sitting there in the 220th overall pick, and they pounced on premier interior defensive lineman value. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Xzavier Henderson in the Round 7 slot, miles early. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.