B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots worked the phones like thieves and earned a B+.
by Jasonmroll14 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 18 picks
· 5 steals
· 6 reaches
The Nazir Stackhouse pick is the one that will follow the Patriots into the fall. They took him 75 spots ahead of his grade, and the board is not shy about saying so. No fireworks, but a solid B+.
If one pick saves this weekend, it is Milroe. The phones were where this weekend was really won. The Patriots clearly valued win-now help, adding bodies who have done it before.
The roster is better shaped than it was, with edge rusher chief among the fixes.
Nothing here to lose sleep over, and plenty to feel decent about.
Pick-by-Pick
They paid sticker price for James Pearce Jr. in slot 30, and that is fine. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Deone Walker in pick No. 36 is fair value, right on his grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
No edge and no loss on Colston Loveland in Round 2, Pick 30; it is a wash and a sensible one. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A quiet steal in pick 69: Jonah Savaiinaea for less than the market said. A need, and now a little less of one.
They did well to land Keon Sabb in the 73rd overall pick, just ahead of his grade. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jordan Burch in the Round 3 slot should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They paid a round early for Evan Stewart in the 93rd overall pick, more than the board wanted. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Jalen Milroe at pick 94 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Quinshon Judkins is a better player than slot 100 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It fills a real need, too.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Danny Stutsman in pick No. 103. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They took Elic Ayomanor at par in the 106th pick, which is nothing to complain about. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Davison Igbinosun at No. 120 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It adds depth where they could use a little.
A big swing on Quincy Riley at the Round 4 slot, well ahead of any board in the building. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Nazir Stackhouse this early at Round 5, Pick 1. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They reached into another round for Jason Henderson, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Power Echols in No. 217 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
They talked themselves into Shilo Sanders at slot 220, and the board did not agree. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Steal is underselling it; Xavier Truss at the 235th pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.