Way too early 2025 Mock Draft: 3 prospects who may be destined to be Patriots

3. Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma State

A running back, you say? After a year in which the first running back in the 2024 NFL Draft was taken in the second round (pick 46), Gordon is destined to be a first-round pick and make a Bijan Robinson-level impact.

Could he go as high as Robinson did in 2023 (No. 8 overall)? If he replicates his 2023 production, that answer should be a resounding yes.

Gordon won the Doak Walker Award as college football’s best running back after recording 1,732 yards on the ground (6.1 yards per carry) and 21 touchdowns in just his sophomore season at Oklahoma State. He also caught 39 passes for 330 yards and a touchdown, giving him over 2,000 yards of production. In today’s NFL, you must be able to do both, and Gordon checks all of the boxes.

If the eye test means anything, he also jumps off the screen like Robinson or (gasp) Adrian Peterson. At 6'2", 215 lbs., Gordon has the size and power to go along with his speed, quickness, and vision. The last step will be his 40-yard dash, which we won’t know until next spring. If Gordon posts a number, we could see him in a Patriots uniform as a top-10 pick in 2025.

Rhamondre Stevenson has stated that he would like to sign an extension with New England, and the Patriots already inked the perfect complement to Stevenson this offseason.

But running back is about as fluid a position as there is in the NFL, so the Patriots could opt for the 21-year-old (next year) Gordon to replace either Stevenson or Gibson, who will be 27 and 26 next year, respectively.

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