Patriots Live Draft Tracker: Picks, Analysis Of Each Selection

FOXBORO, Mass. — After months of mock drafts and prospect rankings, we have arrived.

The New England Patriots entered the 2025 NFL Draft slated to make nine picks over the course of seven rounds.

You can keep up with each of New England’s selections, including analysis on each pick, with our Patriots Live Draft Tracker:

Round 1, No. 4: LT Will Campbell
With Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter off the board, the Patriots selected the best player available for them. New England addressed its biggest need with its premier pick — and understandably so.

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel called it a “very easy” pick, sharing how New England’s biggest need and the best player available aligned.

A first team All-American and two-time All-SEC, Campbell was widely considered the top offensive lineman in the draft class. Campbell (6-foot-6, 319 pounds) possesses ridiculous athleticism, which helped him overcome his lack of length while playing against SEC defenders. Numerous draft experts believe that athleticism and technique will allow Campbell stick at left tackle, and Vrabel agrees.

Concerns about Campbell’s length are understandable, but given the lack of top-tier talent after Hunter and Carter, it made sense for the Patriots to target the offensive line. And they selected the one with the highest floor. If worst comes to absolute worst, Campbell shifting inside and becoming a Pro Bowl guard in 2026 and beyond — after improving the blindside in 2025 — doesn’t feel like a terrible outcome. Teams spend real assets on interior players these days.

Round 2, No. 38: RB TreVeyon Henderson
With talented pass-catchers, Luther Burden II, Mason Taylor and Jaylin Noel on the board, the Patriots added a different kind of weapon for quarterback Drake Maye. New England selected Henderson with the sixth pick in the second round (No. 38 overall). The Ohio State product is a highly-regarded running back who has the potential to contribute on all three downs. Henderson’s pass-catching ability and skillset in pass protection should greatly help Maye, who had an enthusiastic response to the move. That skillset also will be play into the hands of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, famous for his use of pass-catching backs.

Jayden Higgins being drafted by the Houston Texans at 34th overall was a tough pill to swallow for this scribe. I, like so many others, felt Higgins was the best Day 2 receiver for the Patriots. I would have been quite disappointed if Henderson was drafted over Higgins. With that said, I still would have preferred to see the Patriots add a true wide receiver like Burden, Taylor or Noel given they represent bigger needs and are explosive playmakers at more prominent positions. The bottom line, however, is Henderson will be a real weapon in the passing game and give Maye an outlet for dozens and dozens of easy completions. He’ll serve as an upgrade to Rhamondre Stevenson in the very near future.

Round 3, No. 69: WR Kyle Williams
The Patriots added an explosive receiver to their offense. Williams doesn’t stand out with his size (5-foot-11, 190 pounds), but his speed makes him a big-play threat every time he has the ball in his hands. Williams can accelerate and reach top speed quickly, proven by his 4.4 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine. He can best man coverage, too, something the Patriots have been without.

The Washington State product recorded 14 receiving touchdowns in 2024, which ranked behind only Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith. Williams averaged 17.1 yards per catch while hauling in 70 passes for 1,198 receiving yards.

It’ll be interesting to hear why the Patriots had Williams graded higher than other receivers available at No. 69, specifically Noel. Multiple experts had Noel ranked above Williams — The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had Noel WR5 and Williams WR12. Williams versatility and ability to play the X receiver spot, however, might have played a role. Williams lined up outside on nearly 75% of his snaps in 2024, per Pro Football Focus.

Round 3: Wait, what did the Patriots acquire in the two trades?!
The Patriots initially were slated to pick 77th overall. However, two separate trades with he Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively, dropped New England down to 95th overall while adding two additional picks.

Patriots traded: 77th overall
Patriots acquired: 95th overall (via KC), 146th overall (via Carolina) and a 2024 fourth-round pick (via KC)

Round 3, No. 95: C Jared Wilson
Hell yes. Wilson (6-foot-3, 310 pounds) was one of my favorite prospects, which is why I linked the Georgia product to the Patriots in my “ideal” mock draft last week. He ran a 4.84 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine, the fastest 40-yard dash of any offensive lineman. At 310 pounds! Freak.

Wilson was arguably the best center in the class, depending on if you viewed first-rounder Grey Zabel as a guard or center. Brugler ranked him as his 57th prospect in the class. He fell because he doesn’t play a premier position, not because of his talent or potential. This is a 21-year-old who didn’t play football until high school and didn’t play center until 2022. Regardless, he went on to earn All-SEC honors merely two years later.

Wilson probably shouldn’t been written in sharpie just yet, but there’s a real chance he could push Garrett Bradbury as the starting center in 2025. Bradbury’s contract doesn’t scream roster lock. And if not, Wilson is the developmental piece who could take over for the long haul. Much like another Georgia product, David Andrews.

Wilson was New England’s final pick Friday. And it’s been a heck of a two-day stretch. Every pick has been made with Maye in mind thus far — exactly the way it should be.

Round 4, No. 106: S Craig Woodson
After using their first four picks on offense, the Patriots went defense to start Day 3 and selected the California safety with the fourth pick in the fourth round. Woodson is a good athlete who possesses versatility in the secondary having played safety, nickel and outside cornerback. He’s not the same type of player as Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger. But Woodson still feels like a reach, especially since the Patriots currently have three fifth-round picks. Brugler ranked Woodson his 17th best safety in the class, well behind the rangy Billy Bowman Jr. (S5) and others still available. NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein projected Woodson as a fifth-round pick while Brugler gave his a sixth-round grade.

There’s no problem going with a defensive player after targeting offense early and often — tight ends Gunnar Helm and Mitchell Evans were available. But this scribe would have preferred an edge rusher like Jack Sawyer or Kyle Kennard or one of the defensive tackles. Those two position groups represent the deepest in the class, and more premier spots.

Round 4, No. 137: DT Joshua Farmer
The Patriots traded their first fifth-round pick (No. 144) and their final pick in the draft (No. 238) to move up seven spots to No. 137. They selected Farmer, the best-available defensive tackle, who fills a need along the defensive line.

The draft is a canvas, right? Well, Vrabel is wielding a pretty paint brush. The Patriots opted against drafting Farmer, one of the best available players when they were on the clock at No. 106, only to get him 31 spots later. They played the board, made a winning trade, and deserve credit for it.

Brugler had the Florida State product his 76th overall prospect while NFL Media draft expert Daniel Jeremiah ranked Farmer 77th overall on his big board. He fell due to injury risk, Jeremiah said, but is a third-round talent drafted in the back end of the fourth round. Farmer (6-foot-3, 305 pounds) doesn’t possess eye-popping athleticism but does offer power and length (35-inch arms). He can play multiple spots on the defensive line, complementing Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, among others.

An All-ACC honorable mention in 2024, Farmer finished 11 sacks and 21 tackles for loss in 25 starts for the Seminoles.

Round 5, No. 146: EDGE Bradyn Swinson
A third-straight pick spent on the defense, and another steal at a position of need in New England.

The LSU product led the Tigers in sacks (8 1/2), tackles for loss (13) and pressures (59, which ranked fifth in FBS. Swinson was a second-team All-SEC selection in 2024, spending two years in Baton Rouge after starting his career at Oregon.

He’s more talented than his draft slot. Brugler ranked Swinson his 17th best edge rusher and 100th overall prospect, giving the fifth-round selection a third-round grade. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Swinson might not be featured on all three downs since tackles tend to cover him up in the run game, but he plays with speed and flexibility off the edge and can give blocking tight ends the business.

Round 6, No. 182: K Andres Borrengales
The Patriots sent their final fifth-round pick (No. 171) to the Lions for a sixth-round pick (No. 182) and gained another seventh-round pick (No. 228). They spent 182 on Miami’s Andres Borrengales, the best kicker in the draft class. No team selected a kicker before the Patriots.

Borrengales will challenge Parker Romo for the starting job when training camp ramps up this summer. A four-year starter at Miami, Borrengales was a perfect 62-for-62 on extra points and 18-for-19 on field goal attempts, including a long of 56 yards, in 2024. He converted a 65-yard kick at Miami’s Pro Day.

While some might find it hard to get too amped up about a sixth-round kicker, the Patriots wanted to bring in competition and Borrengales was the best in the class. It’ll be interesting to see how the Miami product performs in New England winters.

Round 7, No. 220: OT Marcus Bryant
The Patriots threw a late-round dart at a premium position — a position they should still try to improve despite drafting Campbell.

Speaking to Missouri head coach Eliah Drinkwitz ahead of the draft, he revealed first-rounder Armand Membou stayed at right tackle in 2024 because the Tigers wanted to add Bryant via the transfer portal. Bryant played left tackle at SMU before he arrived to Missouri and the Tigers felt it was best to keep him there.

Bryant has a nice blend of size (6-foot-7, 320 pounds) and athleticism (4.97 40-yard dash). He played 975 snaps at left tackle for the Tigers last season, starting 42 games during his college career.

Round 7, No. 251: LS Julian Ashby
The Patriots traded No. 228 to the Chiefs for a pair of seventh rounds (Nos. 251, 257). After doing so, the Patriots drafted long snapper Julian Ashby, who will come in and compete with the longest tenured Patriots player, Joe Cardona.

NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo reported there would have been a bidding war for Ashby, if he became an undrafted free agent. So while this scribe would have preferred a defensive tackle like Nazir Stackhouse or Cam Horsley, or wide receiver Xavier Restrepo, the Patriots clearly felt Ashby was worthy of the late-round flier. And it’s hard to get too annoyed either way.

Round 7, No. 257: DB Kobee Minor
Mr. Irrelevant! Good for Minor, who was projected to be an undrafted free agent.

The 5-foot-11, 188-pound defensive back played for three programs at Texas Tech and Indiana before he concluded at Memphis. He played 11 games for the Tigers in 2024 with six passes defensed. He’s slender (5-foot-11, 188-pounds) but has speed (4.56 40-yard dash).

After three days, seven rounds, 11 picks and 1,900-plus words, that’s all I got.