B+
New England Patriots
Best value of the weekend goes to the Patriots for Styles: B+.
by Sean Romiza ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 6 picks
· 5 steals
· 0 reaches
Call it larceny. Sonny Styles sat on the board until the 217th overall pick, and the Patriots did not need to be asked twice. No fireworks, but a solid B+.
The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend. For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain. With edge rusher, wide receiver and other spots unsolved, spending premium capital on linebacker is the choice that costs them.
The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a featured back, and a steal at that.
Nothing to complain about; Tate Ratledge went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A need, and now a little less of one.
Jalon Walker at No. 69 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They bypassed pressing needs at edge rusher, wide receiver and other spots to take Barrett Carter, a linebacker that was not the priority.
Deontae Lawson at the 143rd pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
They robbed the room for Sonny Styles here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.