The Patriots are going into the second day of the 2025 NFL Draft with three picks: No. 38 in Round 2 and Nos. 69 and 77 in Round 3. There is a lot of speculation regarding who they might take, especially with their first pick of the day, and they are fortunate to have a second third-rounder to potentially utilize in a trade-up situation to snag a better prospect.
That No. 77 pick resulted from Jerod Mayo's decision to trade Matthew Judon last summer after contract extension talks halted with no compromise on the horizon. They sent the pass rusher to the Falcons for the third-round pick, and they will now know if the trade was entirely worth it based on who they take.
Based on how Judon performed with the Falcons last year and how several players stepped up in his absence, the Patriots already seem to have won the trade, even if they have yet to see the full results. They could very easily have used Judon's production on defense last year.
That was the expectation with the pick they received for Judon, but they instead chose to trade with the Panthers for picks 85 and 146, adding more capital to their stockpile to improve the roster drastically. But that wasn't the end of the trading. They then traded No. 85 to the Chiefs for No. 95 and a fourth-round pick in 2026.
Patriots Day 2 draft pick finally completes Matthew Judon trade with the Falcons
With the 95th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Patriots selected Georgia center Jared Wilson, the best player in his position in the entire incoming class. He immediately fills an under-the-radar void on the offensive line, which looked like it would be fought for between Garrett Bradbury and Cole Strange after David Andrews was released.
Now, the competition for the starting role will be more crowded with Wilson on board. He might only have one year of starting experience under his belt, but his athleticism and natural abilities will shine instantly.
To complete the Judon trade, the Patriots traded Nos. 146 and 238 to the Seahawks for No. 137 and selected defensive lineman Joshua Farmer out of Florida State. He was the highest-rated remaining player on draft expert Mel Kiper's board at the time of the pick.
Farmer will pair well with Milton Williams on the defensive line and can be that pass rusher that the Patriots have needed. He's also a stud at stopping the run, a big weakness of the defense over the past few seasons that will now be much improved with Farmer on the field.
I featured Joshua Farmer in my draft guide and mocked him to the Patriots. He has starter potential and provides good depth behind Milton Williams and Christian Barmore pic.twitter.com/KYcsMC9eQS
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) April 26, 2025
The Patriots then used pick 146 on LSU EDGE Bradyn Swinson, seemingly finding their pass rusher replacement for Judon with one of the picks they received from his trade.
the Patriots continue to hit it out of the park with their draft picks this year.