When it comes to the NFL Draft, teams trying to build up their roster can seldom afford to get cute. That is certainly the case for the New England Patriots, with time winding down until the start of the draft in Green Bay on Thursday.
New England has done its job in free agency in improving the roster, but most of those upgrades came on the defensive side of the ball. Not that the Patriots’ defense didn’t need some improvement, but save for the signing of Stefon Diggs, Eliot Wolf didn’t exactly do very much to help Drake Maye out.
And that could be an issue as the Patriots head into the draft, with many problems still left to be resolved.
Patriots can’t afford to get fancy with this draft
New England is armed with eight picks — including the fourth overall selection — in the 2025 draft. You could argue that Jerod Mayo’s biggest middle finger on his way out the door was winning a meaningless Week 18 game against Buffalo’s backups, which cost the Patriots the first overall pick.
That very well could’ve been Travis Hunter, and most mock drafts have the Heisman Trophy winner headed to Cleveland with the No. 2 overall selection — which puzzles me, given the Browns’ quarterback room is murky, to be kind.
If Abdul Carter is there for the taking with the fourth pick, the Patriots would be foolish not to take him, even though offense is the area that needs more work. There are rumblings that if Carter is available, the Eagles could swing a blockbuster trade with the Patriots for wide receiver A.J. Brown, who played for Mike Vrabel in Tennessee.
Fox Sports’ Henry McKenna said it wouldn’t be a surprise to see New England go the offensive line route with its first three picks. While left tackle undoubtedly needs to be addressed, the Patriots can’t go into training camp without adding another home-run threat.
Diggs provides the offense just that, but he’s 31 years old and coming off an ACL tear. New England needs to smash this draft on the offensive side of the ball. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty remains a wild-card choice given his home-run capabilities and Rhamondre Stevenson’s fumbling issues. Penn State tight end Tyler Warren would give that position a much-needed injection of youth and explosiveness, especially with Austin Hooper and Hunter Henry both in their 30s.
The Patriots can’t afford to make any mistakes or trade back just for the sake of hoarding picks for a rainy day. Fans are itching for playoff games in New England in January again, and given every other AFC East team has its own holes to plug, if the Patriots hit things right, a playoff run is not an impossible dream in 2025.