New England Patriots have NFL’s best draft class, well-respected analyst says

The New England Patriots absolutely crushed the 2025 NFL Draft, according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.

Brugler, who’s known for his annual “The Beast” prospect guide, is one of the most respected draft analysts out there. On Monday, he heaped some high praise on New England for the team’s haul over the weekend.

Brugler noted that the Patriots walked away with four offensive players who ranked in his top 100 who could turn into starters early on. He particularly liked New England landing Washington State wide receiver Kyle Williams in Round 3.

"I could make a case for any of the four as my favorite of the haul, but I’ll go with Williams because of the impact he’ll bring to the passing game," Brugler wrote. “Josh Downs was Drake Maye’s go-to target during Maye’s best college season, and Williams can become that type of weapon (and help correct New England’s Ladd McConkey miss)."

Brugler also highlighted edge rusher Bradyn Swinson and defensive lineman Joshua Farmer as Day 3 picks who could help early on. He noted that Swinson could have the "quickest impact" of the bunch as a pass rush specialist.

To recap, here’s the Patriots’ entire 11-player draft class:

• Round 1, Pick 4: Will Campbell, OT, LSU
• Round 2, Pick 38: TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
• Round 3, Pick 69: Kyle Williams, WR, Washington State
• Round 3, Pick 95: Jared Wilson, C, Georgia
• Round 4, Pick 109: Craig Woodson, S, Cal
• Round 4, Pick 137: Joshua Farmer, DL, Florida State
• Round 5, Pick 146: Bradyn Swinson, EDGE, LSU
• Round 6, Pick 182: Andres Borregales, K, Miami
• Round 7, Pick 220: Marcus Bryant, OT, Missouri
• Round 7, Pick 251: Julian Ashby, LS, Vanderbilt
• Round 7, Pick 257: Kobee Minor, DB, Memphis

Even the Patriots themselves sounded happy with how the draft ran. Vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf told reporters that the team was more organized than it was last year.

That was when Jerod Mayo was coming in as head coach. This year, the Patriots are under a new regime run by Mike Vrabel, who also brought along exec Ryan Cowden to help out in the front office.

Brugler ranked the Patriots at the top of his draft class rankings, ahead of the Browns (No. 2) and Seahawks (No. 3). At the bottom of the rankings were the Dolphins (No. 31) and Vikings (No. 32).

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