Patriots Land Elite Playmaker In Espn S New 2025 Nfl Mock Draft

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 18, 2025, 5:43 AM

Patriots land elite playmaker in ESPN's new 2025 NFL mock draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston The New England Patriots don't need a quarterback in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, which gives them plenty of options to consider if they land a top-five pick. That's a likely scenario given the fact that New England currently owns the No. 3 pick with a 3-11 record entering Week 15. ESPN's Football Power Index gives the Patriots an 86 percent chance of landing a top-five selection. There are a few areas of the Patriots roster that badly need major upgrades.

Left tackle might be the most glaring weakness on the roster. It's arguably the most important position, especially when you have a young quarterback as talented as Drake Maye. Wide receiver is another position of need. The Patriots lack a true difference maker at wideout. Edge rusher and cornerback are two areas on defense that require bolstering. The easiest decision might be to just take the best player in the class, and according to most experts, that's Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter.

If the Patriots stay at No. 3, and quarterbacks are selected with the first two picks, they could land the Heisman Trophy favorite without having to trade up. The New England Patriots are in desperate need of playmakers after focusing mainly on defensive help in free agency. Besides Mack Hollins, the team has not added anyone significant to one of the worst receiver groups in the NFL. That makes the draft a likely avenue for the team to do that. More news: Patriots Trade Down to Protect Drake Maye in Latest Mock Draft

In the latest mock draft on CBS Sports from Kyle Stackpole, the Patriots aren't able to land Travis Hunter but take the next best guy in Tetairoa McMillan, a 6 foot 5, smooth route-running... Some mock drafts are in full swing, and a recent one from ESPN has the New England Patriots selecting a playmaking corner with the sixth overall pick of the 2025 NFL draft. Michigan’s Will Johnson would be a fit for New England, according to ESPN’s Matt Miller. Johnson has been a staple on the Michigan defense during his time in Ann Arbor. He has 68 combined tackles, nine interceptions, 10 pass deflections and three interceptions returned for touchdowns during his three seasons with the Wolverines. Miller believes the Patriots could benefit from another corner, as they look to reload the defense.

Left tackle is an important need for the Patriots, but the offensive tackle class isn't strong beyond Kelvin Banks Jr. Instead of reaching, the Patriots could fill another need at corner with Johnson, my top-rated prospect in the class. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Johnson fits the mold of Pat Surtain II, showing excellent ball skills and the physicality to hang with NFL wide receivers. He has been limited by injuries this season but has two interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns. Pairing Johnson with 2023 first-rounder Christian Gonzalez would give the Patriots a legitimate spot of strength on defense, and having two top corners on rookie contracts would give New England flexibility to build around... Our staff has compiled what the top 'experts' are predicting the New England Patriots will do in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Jeremiah's Analysis: "The Patriots must upgrade the left tackle position heading into Year 2 for Drake Maye. Campbell fits the bill. He'll be a long-term starter for New England." Click here for Daniel Jeremiah's full mock draft. Perry's Analysis: "This one simply makes too much sense for the Patriots. Campbell is widely regarded by evaluators as the top offensive tackle in an imperfect tackle class.

He possesses elite movement skills. He was a three-year starter in the SEC. And his intangibles have made a fantastic impression on decision-makers at One Patriot Place throughout the pre-draft process. His arms measured just 33 inches at his Pro Day, leading some to wonder whether his best fit will ultimately be at guard. But Campbell's combination of athleticism, toughness and intelligence will help make him a leader in a locker room that could use as much of that as it can get." Click here for Phil Perry's full Patriots mock draft.

The New England Patriots have a lot of work to do this offseason, as they need to make upgrades all over their roster after their miserable 2024 campaign. One avenue that they can utilize is the upcoming 2025 NFL draft, where they are armed with the No. 4 overall pick, giving them a lot of different options they could end up pursuing. The Pats have needs all over their roster. They desperately need to infuse their offense with talent, whether it be on the offensive line, or in the playmaker positions to give quarterback Drake Maye more options to work with. Their defense could also use some help, particularly in the front seven.

Could New England end up drafting a player in Travis Hunter who could fill in on both sides of the ball? That's what this ESPN mock draft believes. “Hunter is my top player in this class and a rare prospect, even beyond his two-way ability. His spatial awareness, quickness and ball skills are unique no matter where he plays. I'd put Hunter full time at corner and sprinkle in 20-25 plays a game at receiver. The Patriots need to stack talent, and Hunter gives them an A+ start in that quest,” Jordan Reid of ESPN wrote in his latest mock draft.

Hunter stood out by playing on both offense and defense during his time in college with the Colorado Buffaloes. Not only did he play on both sides, but he excelled as both a wide receiver and a cornerback. On offense, Hunter hauled in 96 receptions for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns. Defensively, Hunter had 36 tackles, four interceptions, 11 passes defended, and a fumble forced. New England could fill a pair of holes by adding one player, but there's no guarantee he will play both sides of the ball in the NFL, despite his desire to do so. The Patriots could end up locking in on other top prospects, like defensive lineman Abdul Carter or offensive lineman Will Campbell, or they could ultimately end up trading down from this pick too.

If they landed Hunter, though, it's safe to say that fans would be quite fired up. The New England Patriots are sitting at 1-3 after starting the season with a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. That game showed what had to go right for the team to win games this season. The three losses that followed highlighted the team’s insufficiencies on offense. While fans are calling for Drake Maye, the reality is Jacoby Brissett is getting beat up behind an offensive line that just isn’t meshing. Injuries have played a part, but the reason the O-line is really standing out is due to Patriots president of player personnel Eliot Wolf not spending or drafting high to fill the need of...

With the team’s offensive gameplan for the season being to run the ball behind Rhamondre Stevenson, the offense has turned back into the disaster it was the last two seasons. If the running game can’t get established, that allows defenses to tee off on Brissett who isn’t as mobile or quick with the delivery as Maye. After the 30-13 Week 4 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the decision making of Brissett is being questioned as well. It’s early in the season and things may get better for the Patriots, but as it stands now, the 2025 NFL Draft looks to be a pivotal one for the Wolf and the Patriots... They have the QB, now it’s time to build a winner around him. It looks this early in the 2024 NFL season that the Patriots are going to end up with another top 3 pick unless Maye comes in and sparks the team to win a string...

With the current construction of the offensive line, that seems unlikely, which is another reason Maye is not already the starter. In not upgrading or barely addressing the position this past offseason, the Patriots must target one of the top tackles in the 2025 NFL Draft. LSU’s Will Campbell is projected as the top tackle to come off the board. He is valued as the best pass proctor and run blocker in the draft. Texas tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. is an explosive and powerful tackle who could go later in the top 10 or early mid-round if the Patriots have an opportunity to trade back for more draft picks.

The New England Patriots own the No. 4 and No. 38 overall picks in the first two rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft. The priority for new head coach Mike Vrabel this offseason will be to build around second-year, rising star quarterback Drake Maye. In the latest mock draft from Dane Brugler of The Athletic, he had New England loading up talent on the offensive side of the ball, attempting to make life easier for Maye. The Patriots can go in many different directions with their first and second-round selections.

That being said, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler projected that New England will take Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan with the fourth-overall pick in the draft: “How we view the Patriots’ needs at the moment compared to three months from now could vary wildly, based on the cap space this organization has to address key positions in free agency. With his tracking skills and fluid catch radius, McMillan has a skill set similar to that of Tee Higgins (who shouldn’t see a minute of free agency, if the Bengals are smart),” Brugler wrote. McMillan is an electric wideout who runs slant routes exceptionally, can stop on a dime and change speeds with verve, and exhibits a talent for slipping through the cracks in opposing secondaries. The 6-5 pass catcher’s size, speed, and natural feel for making plays in the open field could pay huge dividends for a Patriots team that finished dead last in passing yards with 3,343 yards... In 2024, McMillan was named an All-American and a finalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award.

He totaled 84 receptions for a conference-leading 1,319 and eight receiving touchdowns. McMillan averaged over 100 yards per game in each of his two final collegiate seasons and is viewed as a bonafide top-10 pick in the upcoming draft class. Ted Johnson shares what he would tell Patriots ownership about his former teammate, Mike Vrabel, and explains the one area that would give him pause if he was ownership and was considering hiring the... The New England Patriots slid from the No. 1 pick to the No. 4 pick in the final 2025 NFL Draft order as a result of their Week 18 win over the Buffalo Bills, and now they have a real dilemma.

Do they keep the pick or trade down for more assets? A trade down is probably a much harder task now that the Patriots don't have a top two or top three pick. There are only two quarterbacks expected to be taken at the top of this draft, and Heisman Trophy-winning wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter is projected to go No. 3. So, what are the Patriots to do at No. 4?

Patriots Land Elite Playmaker In Espn S New 2025 Nfl Mock Draft

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