There is a lot of pressure on the New England Patriots to have another successful draft this year, more than there typically is for any NFL team. Because their 2025 class overdelivered in nearly every metric, the expectation is that they will strike gold again this offseason, which includes making some big-time trades on draft night.
One of those moves could be a trade for wide receiver AJ Brown, despite the consensus being that a deal won't get done until June 1, when the Eagles won't take on as much dead cap for moving the superstar.
However, there is a chance they'll engage in other trades, too, like potentially moving up, and CBS Sports' Josh Edwards believes they could manage to do that with the Eagles, which seems like a troll job by the Patriots.
Imagine hearing that the Patriots traded their first-round pick to the Eagles on Night 1, thinking it was for Brown, only to find out it was just to move up the board instead. Regardless, Edwards envisions this happening for a specific player that the team has been heavily connected to in recent weeks. While it might be initially disappointing, the payoff of getting him on the roster will be worth it.
Patriots tease fans over trade with the Eagles in Round 1 of the NFL Draft
In his likely final mock draft before the real one begins, Edwards has the Patriots moving up eight spots to select their next starting right tackle, Arizona State's Max Iheanachor at No. 23.
Although most signs have suggested he would be available at their initial pick, there are a few teams set to pick ahead of them that also need offensive tackle help, and that would explain their eagerness to move up the board to get the guy they believe is the successor to Morgan Moses.
"There was a viral clip going around of Mike Vrabel inciting Max Iheanachor to put his hands on him (which is more common than fans may expect, especially among defensive coaches). If New England is going to nab a right tackle, it will require them to trade up a bit in this scenario because several are off the board."
Initially, this surely won't go over well, since most fans will believe this means Brown is on his way to Foxboro. However, eventually seeing that their franchise right tackle was the pick instead is still something to get excited about.
Iheanachor has clearly made an impression on the Patriots, as we saw with Mike Vrabel getting hands-on during his Pro Day, and there is a high upside with him despite not having much football experience under his belt.
He would be put in the perfect situation, with an immediate mentor to learn from and an entire year to get the NFL figured out before being thrown in to start, which couldn't be a better way for a rookie prospect to start their NFL career.
And although there would be some fans disappointed that the Patriots used their first-rounder on him rather than Brown, he would prove to be worth the selection and then some by holding down the right side of the offensive line for years to come, adding further protection for Drake Maye.
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