What did teams around the league - or at least people who work for those teams - think about the Patriots' draft? A reminder: these are opinions. Granted, they are opinions of team builders, scouts, and coaches, but they are opinions nonetheless. Most of you do an excellent job of keeping that in mind. Take 'em. Leave 'em. Cherrypick what you want (so long as you keep it in context). I'll do the first three rounds for the notebook and hit the remaining four rounds next week.
No pick drew more praise from league sources I spoke with than Kyle Williams. From the draft night text I received from a scout declaring, "So. Much. Speed," to one of my favorite offensive coaches in the league telling me, "I think they're going to break the streak," referencing the Pats' inability to hit on wideouts, I couldn't find too many dissenters about Williams' skillset being a fit in the Josh McDaniels' system.
"Josh has this reputation for being someone who loves the underneath stuff, but look at the Vegas tape. He wanted his quarterbacks to push the ball more," said the assistant coach. "Williams gives them that element of verticality and separation that the Patriots offense hasn't had in a long time."
As I went through some numbers, the last time the Pats had someone on the field regularly who stretched the field was, wait for it, a tight end, Rob Gronkowski. He's the last guy I can remember defenses being concerned about his ability to get over the top of them. Oh sure, the likes of Philip Dorsett, Chris Hogan, or Josh Gordon existed, but none were that consistent presence. Perhaps Williams could become that presence, if not the same caliber of player as surefire Hall of Famer Gronk was.
"There's a competitiveness to his game that you want in those guys," said an AFC front office exec. "He plays bigger than he is, which helps him work on the outside, and his release game is varied."
Williams has inconsistent hands. I've heard various excuses for it - from off-field issues that troubled him early in the college season to simply a lack of concentration in that area. What I saw on tape was a guy who will, on occasion, fight the football. What's odd about that is there are more times when he's a natural, plucking it out of the air and becoming an immediate YAC threat. A high-end projection would have Williams ending up as a #2 eventually (although Chris Simms and Steve Smith are in love with the dude).
In round two, the Pats grabbed running back TreVeyon Henderson, and the pick was the subject of debate in the draft room before the other player (Bedard has reported it was Jonah Savaiinaea). It was also the subject of debate in my conversations with my sources,
"I wanted him," an RB coach told me. "He's not a dominant between-the-tackles runner, but he does everything else at a high level."
"It goes beyond what he does when the ball's in his hands," a different coach told me Friday. "He understands his responsibilities in the passing game and keeps his QB clean. I'm jealous."
"An absolute bedrock player," said a scout. "Smart. Tough. Accountable. Former captain. If you're trying to build up from the ashes of 4-13 (x2), these are the types of players you want."
But taking a running back at #38 when this was a deep class (probably the 2nd deepest position in the draft behind DL) raised eyebrows, as did the comment that Henderson is a "three-down back" per Eliot Wolf.
Let's start there.
"Henderson's body didn't hold up at OSU," said an NFC assistant whose team was in the market for an RB in this draft. "He needed the other kid (Quinshon Judkins) to put him in a more suitable role. There's nothing wrong with that, but the idea that he will be able to be an 18-to-25-touch guy is a reach."
"He's explosive. I understand why they'd want him on the field for all three downs, but I think he'd burn out quickly," said a scout. "He couldn't withstand the punishment of playing the lead role in the Big 10. What the hell will it look like against the best in the world?"
The scout did want me to add, "I like him as a player. A lot. But unless you don't care about long-term viability, make him part of a committee and be done with it."
Henderson missed three games in 2022 due to a rib injury and five more a year later with a broken foot. Last season, when splitting time with Judkins, he played all 16 games for the National Champion Buckeyes.
As for Jared Wilson, those I asked wondered about his ability to move people in the run game, but to a man, all believe he can and will get better at it.
"He's too good of an athlete," cited one scout. "Get him in the team's strength program and see what it looks like in a year. I'm confident he'll be at least league-average at that position, and with how he works, maybe more than that."
"He's got good feet, and once he gets into the defender, tends to stay on him," added another scout. "Just don't expect him to put that guy on his ass."
As a pass blocker, those feet are critical in Wilson's setup and how well he can physically handle stunts.
"He can get in position, but longer-armed defenders get into him and can control him," said an assistant offensive line coach. "He's also not experienced at the position (only started one year in college), and that came into play a little more than you'd like on film, but with his aptitude, I expect the more time he gets in the middle, the more he'll raise his floor."
Lastly, Pats' first-rounder, #4 overall, Will Campbell, I've shared a ton of intel, both good and bad. There's not much more to add from them, so I'll leave this part of the column's last word to former Patriot and NFLer Chris Long, who played 11 seasons and 162 games in the league. Pro Football Reference has him down for 70 career sacks and 150 QB hits.
Chris speaks on the importance of arm length for NFL lineman pic.twitter.com/ME4h906lEl
— Green Light with Chris Long (@greenlight) April 28, 2025
COMING IN HOT
It's hard to argue with the successful program Bills GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott have put in place in Buffalo. They've been a legit Super Bowl contender for several years and currently rule the AFC East.
After falling short again in the playoffs, there was some thought, especially by those who cover the Bills daily, that they needed to add more juice to that wide receiver room. Instead, after adding mid-WR Josh Palmer in free agency, Beane focused heavily on defense in the NFL Draft. That didn't go over well with some of the locals.
In fact, a host on a local Buffalo station opined that the team doesn't invest in that position like those they compete with (KC, for instance). Beane happened to be listening to that portion of the show prior to making a scheduled appearance, and man, he came out guns blazing, noting it "sounds like 2018 all over with you guys."
Say what?
"Well, you guys were bitching in 2018 about Josh Allen, you guys wanted Josh Rosen, and now you guys are bitching that we don't have a receiver," he stated. "We just scored 30 points in a row for eight straight games. A year ago, I got you guys asking why we didn't have receivers, but I don't understand it now. You just saw us lead the league in points; when you add all the postseason, no one scored more points than the Buffalo Bills, including the Super Bowl champions. So, you just saw us do it without Stefon Diggs, the same group. How is this group not better than last year's group?
"Our job is to score points and win games. Where do we need to get better? Defense. We did that. So, I get it, you got to have a show, and you got to have something to bitch about, but bitching about wide receiver is one of the dumbest arguments I've heard."
Beane's approach a year ago - he let Diggs go and added Keon Coleman in round two and signed Curtis Samuel - led to an "everyone eats" approach that made the Bills somewhat of a surprise last season. They were expected to take a step back; instead, they had the second-best record in the AFC and made it to a second conference championship in the last five seasons. Allen, for his part, won his first MVP.
"It's not fantasy football to trot out the best receivers," said Beane. "You got Josh Allen. First thing you got to do is protect him. You can't have everything. You can't have Pro Bowl wide receivers, and have a Pro Bowl offensive line, and an All-Pro quarterback, and three great running backs. You've got to pick. Sure, I'd love to play fantasy football, but there's one football. You can't give it to but so many people."
I can't disagree with his assessment. However, Beane did add to the room at the deadline, acquiring Amari Cooper. In Palmer, he gets a cheaper and less accomplished wide receiver as he continues to navigate the roster in hopes of finally breaking through in February. Unless Palmer or Coleman truly emerges, I suspect the Bills will be short at that spot again. Of course, I've been wrong before.
RISK, BUT WITH GUARDRAILS IN PLACE
If you're going to take a shot at a player with maturity issues, it's imperative that not only do you have a strong coaching staff but also someone in that player's room who won't stand for it. That's why I liked what Arizona did by picking Walter Nolen 16th overall.
Nolen is a top 10, perhaps even top 5 talent, but he's not always engaged. It's why you could pop in Ole Miss' tape versus Georgia or South Carolina and say, 'I gotta have that guy.' Then, you watch Nolen versus Kentucky or Duke and wonder where the hell he was. With his talent, the former 5-star recruit should be one of those players you can't take your eyes off.
Jonathan Gannon may not have much history as a head coach - he's entering year three. He's proven tough but fair. However, Gannon knows he can't do it alone.
The Cardinals signed one of the most respected players in league history, Calais Campbell. The 38-year-old is entering his 18th season and is still productive and still wanted. He had a half-dozen teams bidding for his services in free agency. If you think Campbell will tolerate someone like Nolen wasting his talent, you don't know Campbell. He is a pro's pro, from his preparation to his work ethic to his leadership to the consistency of his play. If Campbell can't influence Nolen to unearth that day-in, day-out form, my guess is no one can.
KEEP AN EYE ON GREEN BAY
If you are still desirous of adding another wide receiver to your team, be it here in New England or elsewhere, keep the Packers in focus.
Green Bay took a pair of pass catchers during the first two days of the draft, grabbing Matthew Golden of Texas in round one and then the roller coaster ride that is TCU's Savion Williams in the third. They add that duo to a room full of young players who haven't always been satisfied with their target share, even as the Pack has succeeded under Matt LaFleur and with QB Jordan Love.
Consider the prior investments:
- 2023 2nd rounder Jayden Reed
- 2023 5th rounder Dontayvion Wicks
- 2022 2nd rounder Christian Watson
- 2022 4th rounder Romeo Doubs
Watson, who's recovering from a torn ACL, might want to talk with his father, who was live streaming on social media after the Golden pick, claiming the Pack "don't care about winning." Doubs got hit with a one-game team suspension in October of '24, and while he said it wasn't about his role, the Packers never poured water on that theory.
If there was ever a room that screamed for a calming veteran presence, it's this one (kind of like the Pats last year. No, Kendrick Bourne didn't fit that bill). Instead, the lone vet GB added was Mecole Hardman, who low-key stinks. So, how LaFleur and Love manage these egos will be critical to maintaining some level of harmony, and my guess is, in the end, the Packers will realize that all these parts won't fit, and they'll be looking to move on from one of them, be it in training camp or around the trade deadline.
ANOTHER QB FELL FAR
Shedeur Sanders grabbed all the headlines as he slipped into the third day of the draft before getting picked #144 by a less-than-overwhelmed Browns draft room (that was something), but Quinn Ewers had as perilous a drop.
The former University of Texas QB never quite lived up to the billing as the number-one QB recruit in 2021, ahead of the likes of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jaxson Dart. But he proved to be a solid player for the Longhorns, and even as the school made it clear to him that it would be Arch Manning's job this fall, many schools reached out to Ewers and offered big money for him to transfer. One report claimed he had an offer for as much as $8 million, but even if that wasn't true, Carson Beck secured $3 million to move from Georgia to Miami. That type of cash was definitely available to Ewers.
Instead, he got bad advice. Or no advice at all. Ewers declared for the draft and watched 230 players get selected before the Miami Dolphins called his name in round seven. At that spot, it's hardly a lock Ewers makes the roster. In fact, it's more likely he finds himself destined for a practice squad. For the entire 18-week regular season, the most Ewers can make is $225K. That's not chump change, but that's not what he anticipated. Perhaps his fall will be a lesson to the next player considering whether or not to declare or take the NIL money.