B
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Stewart fall and pounced. Final grade: B.
by Pats Hopeful ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 6 steals
· 0 reaches
Somewhere a general manager is explaining how Josaiah Stewart got past him. The Patriots do not have to explain a thing at pick 223. It nets out to a B, which feels about right.
Leaving safety unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. They went 4 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
The back end got a real overhaul.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but safety.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 3rd pick they get an island corner. More want than need.
Taking Wyatt Milum in pick No. 39 is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. The roster fit checks out.
Jalen Royals at pick 70 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They barely believed it either: Walter Nolen still on the board at the 80th overall pick. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Nothing to complain about; Evan Stewart went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They robbed the room for Aireontae Ersery here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Dylan Fairchild at slot 221 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A need, and now a little less of one.
Somehow Josaiah Stewart was still sitting there in Round 7, Pick 9, and they pounced on premier edge rusher value. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Kyle Kennard at No. 235 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.