B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots robbed the room for Hairston. Final grade: B+.
by Sean Romiza ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 5 steals
· 1 reaches
When a board-topper like Maxwell Hairston slides to the 106th pick, you do not overthink it, and the Patriots did not. A dependable weekend that grades out a B+.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. The Cornelius pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over.
They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. The veteran additions, Penei Sewell chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
Jalon Walker at Round 2, Pick 13 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
By-the-book stuff, Tate Ratledge at pick No. 69 squarely in line with his ranking. The roster fit checks out.
You do not let a running back like TreVeyon Henderson reach No. 77 and blink. They did not. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Maxwell Hairston in the 106th overall pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Ajani Cornelius at slot 144 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Luke Lachey slipping to pick 217 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They will replay Oronde Gadsden II at the 220th pick for years; that is how good the value is. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.