The New England Patriots are in a major reconstruction mode. Lots of 2024 players will be former players, including some very good ones, as the rumored trade of Davon Godchaux suggests. It's the Mike Vrabel era in Foxborough. While it's a year late, it's the best thing the bumbling Patriots' ownership could have done to right their listing, last-place ship.
The ultimate positive the Patriots have in place is their young, uber-talented, dual-threat quarterback, Drake Maye. Having a quarterback is a fundamental necessity for any NFL franchise. In what was one of their few solid moves last off-season, the team stayed the course and drafted Maye with the third overall pick.
The thought here is clear: only sign and draft the very best players at positions of need. It's a strategy that leads to success on the field. Forget numbers, secure quality players, and fill in the rest of the roster through a novel concept in Foxborough: scouting. That said, here's a thought that deviates from the rule, a tad, and it may be as exciting a divergence as it gets for Patriot Nation.
If the Patriots don't get Travis Hunter, here's what they can do
Travis Hunter is the best option for the New England Patriots wherever they can draft him. It may take a trade-up since the Pats foolishly kicked the first overall pick out the door. They won their last game against the Buffalo Bills' scrubs, sending the Bills into the playoffs with a huge guffaw.
Suppose new head guy Mike Vrabel isn't willing to use valuable draft capital in 2025 (the only year that matters) to trade up. In that case, he will still have the option of taking another top player of need still on the board at pick No. 4. Conversely, he can shock the entire NFL world by trading down a pick or a few, and drafting a running back. A running back? But not just any running back, it's Ashton Jeanty.
The Boise State super back is the best there is in the 2025 draft. He'd also be the best running back the Patriots have had since Corey Dillon. He helped the Patriots win a Super Bowl in 2004, which was the best season a running back has ever had for the Patriots.
The 5'8 1/2", 2015-pound Jeanty may be on the short side, but he's neither small nor lacking as a true NFL bell-cow back. Jeanty gained an other-worldly 2601 yards with 26 touchdowns for the Broncos in 14 games in 2024. Want excitement? Jeanty delivers the goods. And there's lots more to the story.
Patriots' Drake Maye and Ashton Jeanty are a match made in football heaven
Jeanty becomes your immediate starting back. He can carry any load that makes sense. He also provides an immediate two-level upgrade to the Patriots' running back room, allowing them to trade Rhamondre Stevenson for value, e.g., a 2025 third or fourth-round draft pick. But that's not even the best of all this.
There is no way Vrabel will end the 2025 season without adding at least two better options at wide receiver to their lackluster 2024 room. That means the passing attack under second-year potential Pro-Bowler or better, Drake Maye, will improve, probably by leaps and bounds. This also presupposes that Vrabel has delivered an offensive line that allows Maye the time to throw. He will.
The sum of all this is better than its parts. Maye will carve up NFL defenses once he has a solid offensive line and even decent wide receiver help. He garnered a 66.6% completion percentage with a Swiss-cheese offensive line and no receivers other than Pop Douglas and, to an extent, Kayshon Boutte in 2024. Expect much more.
Then, add Jeanty to the equation, and it will make all the difference. Load up for Maye's passing? Jeanty will easily torch you for a hundred yards on the ground. Put lots of players in the box to stop the run? Maye will carve your defense up with pinpoint throws from anywhere.
This adds up to a very enticing proposition for Mike Vrabel. Let's throw aside conventional thinking and even some rather unconventional thinking. If Mike Vrabel trades slightly down for more 2025 assets and drafts Ashton Jeanty, it's a move with dazzling potential. Vrabel's move will be hailed here as gutsy and possibly extraterrestrial. The resulting prediction would be eight or nine wins easily.