The New England Patriots have 12 picks in the upcoming NFL Draft and already have 15 rookies on a 14-3 AFC East-winning team that holds the No. 2 seed in the AFC. In short, they are possibly the best-positioned team in the NFL.
While New England's success was something I predicted and argued should be the expectation, a 14-3 record with one loss in their final 15 games was not even what the most optimistic could have expected. Drake Maye's ascension, paired with a stout defense and a coaching staff that instilled strong discipline, led to an overachieving squad in 2025, but the roster-building isn't done just yet.
New England is still in need of reinforcements across the offensive line and defensively. They'll need to retool the offense ahead of next year by adding another big-time weapon, and of course, they'll need to find replacements for any free agents they may let walk.
Patriots select SEC standout edge rusher in the first round
In a recent mock draft, PFF's Trevor Sikkema has New England selecting Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk to upgrade their defensive line.
Sikkema reasons New England may prefer an edge defender that's more established as a pass rusher, but taking a gamble on Faulk could pay off in a major way, and Vrabel has a history of making boom or bust selections in the first round: see Jeffery Simmons and Caleb Farley for the good and the bad.
New England will be in the market for an edge rusher. K'Lavon Chaisson will be a free agent in the offseason, and with a career high of 7.5 sacks, he'll be looking to cash in. Harold Landry, Anfernee Jennings, and Elijah Ponder have all been contributors and will be back for next season, but the latter pair have 11.5 career sacks combined.
Faulk notched a pair of sacks this season with a 10.2% pass rush win rate. Last season was far better, however, as he had nine sacks with a 14.4% pass-rush win rate. He's graded out to have 83.4 and 84.2 PFF grades against the run in each of the last two seasons, a value the No. 6 run defense in football certainly values.
Faulk has an 8.6% run-stop rate, ranking him 9th among juniors at the position and 6th on the edge in the SEC.
He profiles very similarly to Tyree Wilson, the 8th pick from Texas Tech in 2023. They are both physically imposing, strong and fast, and have excellent scores as run defenders. Wilson's lack of development as a pass rusher (12 sacks in 3 seasons) has been disappointing, but it's hard to argue he isn't a top run defender given his 13.5% run-stop rate.
Faulk's frame and athleticism give him an edge over other prospects. Standing at 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds, he's already a force. Despite his size, he runs a sub-4.8 40-time and is reported to have bench-pressed 225 pounds 22 times. He'll turn 21 in September, making him one of the younger prospects in the upcoming draft.
Faulk's athleticism, age, and run-stopping acumen make him a high-floor player with the upside to become a legitimate pass rusher.