The New England Patriots hold 11 picks in Thursday's draft, with eight of them on Day 3. Every year, movement up and down the draft board is a given, and with the team's strong rookie class in 2025, there isn't as strong a need for an infusion of young talent as there was a year ago.
Pair that with the imminent trade for A.J. Brown after June 1, which will deplete their future draft caches, and making a move up the board that would require significant future draft capital seems unlikely.
NFL teams are not willing to part with 2027 draft picks
Aside from New England's situation specifically, the broader NFL isn't as high on this draft class as in other years' crops. Jordan Schultz reported that multiple teams in the top ten could be looking to make a move down the board, looking to acquire future capital.
Unfortunately for those top teams, the interest in making rich moves up the board is limited. The main reason is the projected strength of the 2027 class, which features numerous top prospects.
Quarterback is a particularly strong position. Arch Manning, Dante Moore, DJ Lagway, Julian Sayin, Darian Mensah, LaNorris Sellers, Drew Mestemaker, and others round out a potentially generational class.
Furthermore, Jeremiah Smith, Ryan Williams, and Cam Coleman are among the top receiver prospects, while the trenches are excellent on both sides of the ball. It's easy to see why teams are looking to add picks in 2027 rather than see them stripped away.
The Patriots should follow suit with the rest of the league
As mentioned, New England has a multitude of draft picks this year. They hold their own picks in each round, as well as the Bears' fourth-round pick (125) and the sixth-round picks of the Chiefs (191), Vikings (198), and Steelers (202).
While the overall value of these picks isn't all that high, their value on draft day should increase dramatically. When teams start clamoring for a player sliding down the board, they often give up more value than is advisable, and the Patriots could use that to their advantage.
Early indications are that New England will be trading a future first-round pick in exchange for Brown in June. It's unclear whether the pick will be from 2027 or 2028, but regardless, acquiring picks in the strong 2027 draft could help soften the blow from the inevitable loss of capital from the Brown deal.
A trade down from Pick 31 could be an option: perhaps New England moves to the early to mid second round and receives a 2027 selection in exchange? Thursday will tell all, but it seems a sure thing that New England won't use all 11 of its draft picks.
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