B+
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Mondon Jr. fall into their laps, and walked away with a B+.
by Dpilon ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 6 reaches
You could see the war room lean forward. Smael Mondon Jr. at the 235th overall pick is the sort of fall that does not happen, except it just did.
They will need Horsley to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it.
The Patriots paired the rookies with proven help, Ja'Marr Chase leading the way.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
They talked themselves into TreVeyon Henderson at pick 37, and the board did not agree. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Tyler Booker at the 38th overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A premium they did not need to pay, Maxwell Hairston a notch or two before his time. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Donovan Jackson in Round 3, Pick 13 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
You do not let a safety like Andrew Mukuba reach No. 105 and blink. They did not. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They will replay Barrett Carter at the Round 5 slot for years; that is how good the value is. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
A wild overpay on Cam Horsley in slot 145, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Shilo Sanders at pick No. 216 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Taking Smael Mondon Jr. in pick 235 is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
They reached into another round for Micah Morris, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It fills a real need, too.