The New England Patriots, broadly, were among the biggest winners of the 2025 NFL Draft.
“The Patriots got a lot better over this weekend,” a rival AFC scouting director told me, of New England’s draft class.
Through all seven rounds, especially early on on Thursday and Friday nights, the Patriots redoubled on their commitment to second-year quarterback Drake Maye and adding the kind of pieces to help the former No. 3 overall pick take a major leap this fall.
Will Campbell is a franchise cornerstone caliber left tackle, TreVeyon Henderson’s explosiveness in the ground game should alleviate some of the pressure on Maye, while wide receiver Kyle Williams is a tactician of a route runner with strong hands who could be a prolific second weapon opposite Stefon Diggs in Maye’s arsenal in the passing game.
Turns out, the Patriots were far from done.
New England Patriots’ Pick Named ‘Steal of The NFL Draft’
Pro Football Focus put together a list of the biggest steals of the 2025 NFL Draft, including the Patriots’ selection of former LSU edge rusher Bradyn Swinson with the No. 146 overall pick.
“The Patriots get outstanding value here,” Mason Cameron writes for PFF. “As Swinson ranked No. 47 on the PFF Big Board. On true pass sets, he posted a 91.4 pass-rush grade and an overall pass-rush win rate of 22.1%.”
Swinson, 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, is a ball of traits who arrives in Foxboro on the heels of an 8.5 sack 2024 campaign in Baton Rouge, and with 13.5 collegiate sacks on his resumè.
New England spent much of the draft bolstering the offense around Maye but may have also added a game-changer to a front-seven that was in desperate need of one.
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