The Patriots added a strong crop of young players to a roster that desperately needed additions. There's no doubt each player had their fair share of success in college, but what might each of them look like at the next level?
To no surprise, each player measures up similarly in some way to NFL mainstays who have made major impacts on their teams either currently or in recent years.
From top to bottom, this draft class has several rookies comparable to NFL stars.
Finding veteran comps for the Patriots 2025 rookie draft class is easier than you think
T Will Campbell and Bernhard Raimann
The number four pick in the draft was a phenomenal blindside protector for Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier during his three years with LSU. While his production spoke for itself, the red flag with his play was evident in his measurables, specifically his arm length.
A player who has been an excellent professional and faced similar criticisms is Colts left tackle Bernhard Raimann. Similar to Campbell, Raimann's college production at Central Michigan was incredible, and he, too, has sub-33-inch arms.
According to Next Gen Stats, Campbell ranked just ahead of Raimann in athleticism and overall production scores going into their respective drafts. At the same time, Raimann got the edge in the metric's production score. After being selected in the third round in 2022, Raimann got right to work for the Colts, starting at left tackle immediately. His 73.3 PFF grade was impressive for a rookie, but in 2023 and 2024, he graded out as one of the top eight tackles in the league in both years.
The Colts don't get a ton of national attention, but Raimann is a star at his position and one of the best in the league. If Campbell can step in and play as well as Raimann did immediately, the Patriots' offensive line could make a huge jump.
RB TreVeyon Henderson and Jahmyr Gibbs
Comparing Henderson to the rushing touchdown leader in 2024 may seem like giving him shoes too big to fill, but the two have comparable measurables. Both were prolific college players, but more specifically, the pair was excellent as receivers out of the backfield.
Gibbs went for roughly 34 catches a season between Georgia Tech and Alabama, while Henderson averaged 24 grabs a year across his three healthy seasons at OSU. Both are tremendous athletes. While Gibbs was slightly faster in the 40, they ran identical ten-yard splits, and Henderson showed more explosion in the vertical jump. Listed at 5'9" and 5'10" respectively, the two are listed at the same 202-pound weight.
Henderson's role with New England during his rookie season could look very similar to Gibbs's in 2023 with the Lions.
On 182 carries, Gibbs ran for just shy of the thousand-yard mark and ten touchdowns, to go along with 52 grabs. David Montgomery took the majority of the short-yardage work for the Lions, while Gibbs was given license to make more explosive plays on first and second down.
Albeit, this is an almost ridiculous standard to hold Henderson to in his rookie season. Still, a one-two punch of Rhamondre Stevenson and Henderson could lend itself to a sort of budget Sonic and Knuckles in year one. In Henderson's second season, he could hold the reins full time and potentially take the 250 carries Gibbs did in year two.
WR Kyle Williams and Stefon Diggs
Kyle Williams has a lot in common with a current Patriot in my mind: the new star man, formerly of Minnesota and Buffalo, and most recently of Houston, Stefon Diggs. Diggs's play style is maybe my perfect receiver. He can play on the outside and the slot, and has proven to be a solid athlete and excellent fundamental receiver.
With great hands and route-running, Williams has a very similar play style. Both have nearly identical 40-yard dash times, 10-yard splits, vertical jumps, and broad jumps. Williams is slightly smaller than Diggs, by about an inch and five pounds compared to his entrance in the league.
Next Gen Stats ranks Williams's athleticism higher than Diggs's, despite similar measurables by nine points, and Williams was selected two rounds higher. Having Diggs to help mentor Williams on the field could help him blossom into a star.
C Jared Wilson and Garrett Bradbury
Another pair of Patriots in the comparison, Wilson and Bradbury, are phenomenal athletes and football players. There's a reason most experts gave the Patriots an A for this selection, such as the former first-round pick Bradbury. Wilson ranked first in Next Gen Stats' production, athleticism, and overall scores for the position.
They both ran in the mid-4.8s, rapid for an offensive lineman. Both have struggled when playing true nose tackles due to their slightly smaller frames, at 300 and 310 pounds, respectively. Bradbury has been an iffy pass blocker in the NFL, but was very good in college.
Wilson has similar numbers to Bradbury in terms of college pass blocking efficiency, but you'd hope to see more from Wilson than Bradbury has put together as a pass protector in the pros.
DB Craig Woodson and C.J. Gardner-Johnson
CJGJ has been in NFL headlines across his career more due to his trash talk than anything else, but he's also been a sound safety and slot cornerback since coming out of Florida. Woodson doesn't have the same acumen as a ball hawk as CJ, but he profiles to be a similar player.
The pair possesses solid athleticism and versatility, and while Woodson played the majority of his snaps deep at Cal, he has also been profiled as a slot option. They can hit hard and cause problems in the box, and like CJ, Woodson was selected in the fourth round (106), just one pick after CJ was chosen in 2019.
DT Joshua Farmer and Tershawn Wharton
Like Wharton, Farmer has struggled against the run in the past, posting pretty average grades. Where his value comes is through interior pass rush: 17 sacks since 2022. Wharton came on for the Chiefs this season, recording seven to add to his three in the two years before, totalling ten in the pros during the same time frame.
Behind Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, and Keion White, Farmer will have to wait his turn for pass rush snaps along the defensive line, but should be a sound backup and long-term developmental piece that could blossom next to superior talent the way Wharton did next to Chris Jones.
DE Bradyn Swinson and Mike Danna
Mike Danna isn't a big name, but he's been a closer for the Chiefs in the Mahomes era. He has recorded 23 sacks in his five seasons in KC, including an eight-sack 2023 season. To complement reasonable pass rush production, Danna has demonstrated strong run-stopping ability.
Swinson has graded out to be a solid run defender and was LSU's top sack producer in 2024. While he may not end up a star, players like Mike Danna are often the unsung heroes who can help bolster a front seven.
OT Marcus Bryant and Cornelius Lucas
It's hard to find many 6'8" offensive tackles, but Bryant and Lucas overlap in that respect. Lucas has been in the league since 2014, primarily serving as a swing tackle and extra lineman, having played in almost 130 games and started 54.
They are both strong pass protectors, given their length, but aren't elite athletes despite their size. Lucas has been a well-respected veteran who has played for six teams. If Bryant could develop into a spot starter with veteran upside down the line, sparked by his five years in college, it would be a big win for offensive line coach Doug Marrone.
CB Kobee Minor and Kendall Fuller
Neither cornerback is a phenomenal athlete, but they both have shown some ability at their respective levels through their IQ. Fuller primarily played on the outside during the beginning of his career, and Minor could work his way through the ranks as a depth piece before breaking out like Fuller did in Washington and Kansas City years ago.