B-
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Smith fall into their laps, and walked away with a B-.
by Sean romiza ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 8 steals
· 2 reaches
Somebody in Round 7, Pick 34 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Patriots sat still while Brashard Smith, the No. 108 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. It does the job without flash, and the B- reflects it.
If Horn Jr. pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. They lost the exchange badly enough to drag the whole class down.
A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
They took Will Campbell at par in Round 1, Pick 15, which is nothing to complain about. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They did well to land Tate Ratledge in pick 38, just ahead of his grade. It fills a real need, too.
A tidy bit of business in the Round 2 slot, where Emeka Egbuka graded well above the range. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They barely believed it either: Harold Fannin Jr. still on the board at the 69th pick. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They will replay Xavier Watts at pick No. 80 for years; that is how good the value is. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Jermari Harris at slot 83 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Andrew Mukuba at the 105th overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jake Majors in No. 140 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A need, and now a little less of one.
Circle this one: Smael Mondon Jr. at pick 152 is a fall that decides a draft. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Chris Paul Jr. at pick No. 219 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Julian Fleming in Round 7, Pick 8, miles early. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Value said wait; Jimmy Horn Jr. in the 237th pick says they were not listening. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Taking Brashard Smith in No. 248 is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.