Patriots Mock Draft: New England Gains Leverage With No. 1 Pick

The Patriots find themselves in contention for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, though they’ll need some help getting there. We’ll follow along each week for the remainder of the season to see if things change, while also highlighting who/what might be in consideration at their projected pick.

The Patriots got the help they were looking for.

New England was launched into the driver’s seat for the No. 1 pick Sunday, as a few things broke its way. The New York Giants defeated the Indianapolis Colts to officially lose control of the top selection, while the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders also found themselves in the win column. Drake Maye’s club can now finish no lower than No. 4 on the draft board.

Week 18 will decide whether or not that top pick stays in their possession, but as things currently stand, the draft now runs through Foxboro, Mass.

OUTLOOK

The Patriots’ elevation into that top spot has opened up a wealth of possibilities, whether they make the pick or not.

The Titans (No. 2), Giants (No. 3), Browns (No. 4), Jets (No. 6) and Raiders (No. 8) are all expected to be in contention for a quarterback, though it is currently unknown if any would be willing to trade to No. 1 to select Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders or Miami’s Cam Ward.

New England should benefit from the fact that there are so many teams with interest in a signal-caller, as it increases the likelihood that teams will look to make a move up in the draft order. Both New York teams and Las Vegas could all be eyeing a way to jump Tennessee, and can only do it by making a trade with New England.

It’s also likely there will be an opportunity to make trades elsewhere.

Potential Targets

ROUND 1 (1-6)
WR/CB Travis Hunter, Colorado
EDGE Abdul Carter, Penn State
OT Will Campbell, LSU
OT Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas

Hunter and Banks were our prior two selections, and the Patriots should be happy to take either. New England should just embrace the uncomfortable and select the best player available after trading away that top pick, however. Carter and Hunter are those guys in the eyes of many, and taking one would then amplify the need for an offensive lineman later on. New England could easily make a move to jump back into the first round and address that need early.

ROUND 1 (24-32)
OT Wyatt Milum, West Virginia
OT Cameron Williams, Texas
OT Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota
OT Josh Simmons, Ohio State

Milum, Williams, Ersery and Simmons are comfortably the second-tier offensive tackles who will be available in the draft. But due to the number of teams that will be looking for help in that department, they might all still be first-round picks. Campbell and Banks will be the first two off the board, but if you want any chance at one of the top-six options, you probably have to trade back up and take the best available.

ROUND 2
EDGE Jack Sawyer, Ohio State
EDGE J.T. Tuimoloau, Ohio State
EDGE Kyle Kennard, South Carolina
TE Tyler Warren, Penn State

Sawyer, Tuimoloau and Kennard are all going to be impact players, it’s just a matter of which you prefer. The Patriots need someone willing to set the edge, though it’ll be hard to overlook a versatile weapon like Warren, should he be available.

ROUND 3
WR Jalen Royals, Utah State
TE Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green
WR Jack Bech, TCU
OT Ozzy Trapilo, Boston College
RB Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State

New England has a pair of third-round picks, and both will be about finding talented players to fit the offense.

Projected Path

The Patriots need to trade the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and will do so in our latest mock. It still allows them to land the best player available and address every need they’ll have entering the draft. New England also lands a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft in the process.

---

PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator had Sanders, Ward and McMillan going in the first three picks, which is a dream scenario.

Hunter is our pick, because he’s the best player in the draft. It’s easy to get fatigued watching the same guy dominate on both sides of the ball in back-to-back seasons, but you won’t want to overthink this pick.

Williams was the top available tackle as we approached the final portion of that first round, so we had the Patriots trading up for an upgrade at the position. Sawyer was the pick with our brand new second-round selection, as he’s probably the best scheme fit of any edge defender we highlighted earlier.

Royals always seems to find himself in position to be taken in these mocks, so we went for it this time while doubling down on weapons with the selection of Fannin. Royals is a true outside option, and would essentially be a re-do pick in a world in which the Patriots just cut bait with Javon Baker. Fannin is an extremely versatile tight end, who can play alongside the likes of Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper early, while eventually earning a bigger role. Maye likes his tight ends, so we gave him another.

How do we feel about this mock, Patriots fans?