F
New England Patriots
The Patriots reached for Boone and never recovered. Grade: F.
by DCHouston66 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 3 steals
· 7 reaches
The tape said wait; the Patriots did not. Peny Boone went at No. 199, a good 229 picks before the board was ready. The warnings were there, and the F is the bill.
The trade table is where this weekend went wrong. That safety hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. They banked enough surplus on Noel to cover a lot of smaller sins.
The roster is better shaped than it was, with edge rusher chief among the fixes.
In the end, a class that has to defy its grades just to matter.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 20 they get a disruptor off the edge at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
Nice patience on Omarion Hampton, who had no business lasting to the 38th overall pick. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A premium they did not need to pay, Demetrius Knight Jr. a notch or two before his time. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
A slide stopped in No. 63, with Isaiah Bond worth more than the price. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Deone Walker. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A real head-scratcher, Dylan Fairchild in Round 3, Pick 11 is miles ahead of his ranking. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
The board had cheaper options than Donovan Jackson at Round 3, Pick 13, and it noticed. The roster fit checks out.
Sai'vion Jones in slot 85 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Emery Jones Jr. this early at the 99th overall pick. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
By-the-book stuff, Jake Majors at pick 105 squarely in line with his ranking. It fills a real need, too.
A wide receiver of that caliber at pick No. 121 is the definition of value, full stop. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A big swing on Dont'e Thornton Jr. at the Round 5 slot, well ahead of any board in the building. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Peny Boone. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.