B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots won the night they stopped Smith from sliding. Grade: B+.
by Sean Romiza ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 5 picks
· 4 steals
· 1 reaches
Thirty-one other rooms let Brashard Smith slide, and the Patriots were the ones holding the card at the 220th overall pick. Highway robbery. No fireworks, but a solid B+.
The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. Reaching for Ersery left real value on the table behind him.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a centerpiece for the ground game at a price that makes it sweeter.
They liked Aireontae Ersery enough to skip the value, taking him in pick 38. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They robbed the room for Tyler Booker here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A need, and now a little less of one.
The board fumbled Danny Stutsman all the way to slot 143, and they scooped it up. A minor itch, scratched.
Circle this one: Brashard Smith at the 220th overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.