The Patriots will soon embark on a transformative offseason, which includes major organizational, staffing and roster changes. NESN gave me a shot at predicting what those changes will look like, helping turn things around for New England entering 2025. Welcome to the latest installment of our Patriots Manifesto, where we finally draft the club’s next core of stars.
Part 1: The Patriots Manifesto | Part 2: Organizational Changes | Part 3: Trades | Part 4: Free Agency
The Patriots’ primary goal during free agency should be to address each of their biggest needs, which then opens up the ability to draft the most talented players available and not focus on specific positions. We followed that ideology, but you know we also have a trick or two up our sleeves when it comes to the draft itself.
PFF’s mock draft simulator will be our primary tool. New England has nine picks to play with, including those we picked up through prior trades, so let’s jump straight into it.
No. 4: EDGE Abdul Carter (Penn State)
Carter is as close to a slam dunk pick as anyone possibly could be, with the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants essentially deciding for us by selecting quarterback Cam Ward, wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, respectively.
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New England needs a legitimate difference-maker at No. 4, and one falls directly to that spot in our exercise. It’s a no-brainer.
No. 26: OT Grey Zabel (North Dakota State)
Zabel had perhaps the best showing of any prospect at the Senior Bowl, using the opportunity to showcase that he’s fully capable of holding his own as a tackle despite less-than-ideal arm length and level of competition. The Patriots added two viable options at tackle earlier in this exercise, so we get to take a bit of a gamble with this selection.
Zabel and Mekari can both play all over the offensive line, which opens up all sorts of possibilities for New England.
No. 69: DL Darius Alexander (Toledo)
Toledo’s greatest export since the perfume atomizer, Alexander was another standout from the 2025 Senior Bowl.
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The Patriots need tons of help in the trenches, and Alexander joins the likes of Carter, Huff and Onwuzurike to help rebuild things alongside the likes of Christian Barmore and Davon Godchaux. Oh baby, what a group!
No. 77: TE Harold Fannin Jr. (Bowling Green)
Fannin is one of the most prolific tight ends in the history of college football, but beyond that, he has the physical makeup of your prototypical “move” option in one of McDaniels’ offenses.
Aaron Hernandez made that role famous, but it was later occupied in tweaked iterations by the likes of Martellus Bennett and Jonnu Smith — to varying results. Fannin’s arrival would eventually allow for those two-tight end sets to become a little more dynamic. And he one day could take over for Hunter Henry as the top target in that room.
No. 104: WR Jaylin Noel (Iowa State)
Noel’s college teammate, Jayden Higgins, will grab the highlights for his blend of size and athleticism, but there isn’t a better route-runner in the draft than this young man. New England should strongly consider taking as many swings as possible at the position, and Noel would be as good as any.
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No. 127: RB Brashard Smith (SMU)
No. 176: RB Tahj Brooks (Texas Tech)
The Patriots need to add backfield depth, so we used back-to-back selections to address that need with two very different players. Smith fits the old passing-down role that has been lost in recent seasons, originally starting his collegiate career as a wide receiver and still running routes like one. Brooks is an early-down guy, who can do damage between the tackles and spell someone like Rhamondre Stevenson late in games should it be required — before eventually taking on more carries as the season progresses.
No. 222: OL Drew Kendall (Boston College)
No. 240: OT Carson Vinson (Alabama A&M)
Kendall played for Doug Marrone at Boston College, and it only felt right that we connect one of his former players to New England. Vinson is another swing for us along the offensive line, which you can never take too many of.
DRAFT RESULTS
EDGE Abdul Carter
OT Grey Zabel
DL Darius Alexander
TE Harold Fannin Jr.
WR Jaylin Noel
RB Brashard Smith
RB Tahj Brooks
OL Drew Kendall
OT Carson Vinson
Featured image via Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images
