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 might be in consideration. It’s time to do some mock drafts, New England.
The Patriots lost another one Sunday, but didn’t get the satisfaction of improving their position in the draft.
The Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants, as you probably could have guessed, each lost in Week 15. New England currently holds the No. 3 pick, the same selection they’ve had the last few weeks, behind Las Vegas and New York.
New York and Las Vegas are both expected to be in contention for a quarterback, so having the third overall pick isn’t so bad. PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator proved that, as Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward, somewhat predictably, were the first two players off the board in our test run. New England (with some help from us) would then make a franchise-changing pick, with a trio of others jumping into the fold in a nice class that addresses four major needs in just three rounds.
RESULT: The Patriots select WR/CB Travis Hunter (No. 3), OL Wyatt Milum (No. 39), EDGE Jack Sawyer (No. 70) and WR Jalen Royals (No. 80) in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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Hunter has long been viewed as a perfect candidate for New England, as there isn’t anyone in this class who would be able to come in and impact his team quicker. The Patriots need help on both sides of the ball, and adding one of the best outside options (no matter which phase of the game) in the entire class is a nice way of doing that.
Hunter will face questions about which side of the ball he calls home, but we don’t see any reason as to why he’ll have to pick just one. Colorado benefitted from his versatility. Jackson State benefitted from his versatility. Collins Hill High School benefitted from his versatility.
New England should be next.
Milum and Sawyer each address needs in their own right, the former having versatility along the offensive line while primarily being viewed as a left tackle at the next level. New England might not feel comfortable selecting one of the offensive linemen who are viewed as first-round picks, as they probably wouldn’t be first-rounders in any other draft. Milum is a value pick.
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Sawyer has some juice as a pass-rusher, but his value comes in his ability to play all three downs right away. New England would make him a starter almost immediately, hoping he can truly blossom in obvious passing situations.
Royals was the best wide receiver available, which is great because he wouldn’t overlap with many of the guys already in the receiver room at One Patriot Place. It’s not like they’d be worried about stepping on the toes of Ja’Lynn Polk or Javon Baker, anyway, but nevertheless. Royals is a true outside guy, who could stretch the field in a way no one has at Gillette Stadium in a long, long time.
How do we feel about this mock, Patriots fans?
Featured image via Lucas Boland/Imagn Images