B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots robbed the room for Fitzgerald. Final grade: B+.
by duntaformy ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 1 steals
· 5 reaches
Somewhere a general manager is explaining how Ryan Fitzgerald got past him. The Patriots do not have to explain a thing at pick 222.
Every board in the league had Pegues lower, and that gap is the story. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own.
Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 14 they get a mismatch in the passing game. A real need, handled.
In pick 27 they get a long-term starter on the line, even if it was a touch early. A clean fit for the roster.
They paid a round early for Isaiah Bond in the Round 2 slot, more than the board wanted. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Ozzy Trapilo at the 69th pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It fills a real need, too.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jake Majors. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
JJ Pegues in pick No. 145 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jackson Hawes in the 219th overall pick, miles early. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Steal is underselling it; Ryan Fitzgerald at Round 7, Pick 4 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
They paid sticker price for Marcus Yarns in the 240th overall pick, and that is fine. The roster fit checks out.