Patriots Predicted To Fill Glaring Need By Selecting Generational

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 18, 2025, 5:38 AM

patriots predicted to fill glaring need by selecting generational

So far this offseason, the New England Patriots have been hard at work to put surprise Pro Bowler Drake Maye in the best possible situation for the 2025 NFL season. The first major move was bringing in Mike Vrabel as the new head coach before a newsworthy offseason followed. However, the work isn’t done yet. For the team to truly ascend to that next level, they need a home run in the NFL Draft. And one analyst believes they’ll start off strong in the first round itself by taking care of their biggest position of need early. New England, meet your newest superstar.

On PFSN’s free agency grades for the offseason, New England was among the highest-graded teams, receiving an A-. Their acquisition of defensive talent was truly exceptional, but now is the time to bring in weapons for Maye. The latest mock draft from PFSN projects them to do just that. While crediting the Patriots for their work in free agency, it also acknowledged the need for a wide receiver to be added to the current group. Ben Rolfe wrote, “The New England Patriots have had a fantastic offseason, but they still have a few needs to fill. One of those is at wide receiver, though they also have questionable depth at cornerback.”

Pro Football and Sports Network covers all the major professional sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, Tennis, WNBA, NASCAR, and more. So far this offseason, the New England Patriots have been hard at work to put surprise Pro Bowler Drake Maye in the best possible situation for the 2025 NFL season. The first major move was bringing in Mike Vrabel as the new head coach before a newsworthy offseason followed. However, the work isn’t done yet. For the team to truly ascend to that next level, they need a home run in the NFL Draft . And one analyst believes they’ll start off strong in the first round itself by taking care of their biggest position of need early.

New England, meet your newest superstar. On PFSN’s free agency grades for the offseason, New England was among the highest-graded teams, receiving an A-. Their acquisition of defensive talent was truly exceptional, but now is the time to bring in weapons for Maye. The latest mock draft from PFSN projects them to do just that. While crediting the Patriots for their work in free agency, it also acknowledged the need for a wide receiver to be added to the current group. The New England Patriots are a compelling team at this erratic and consequential time of the off-season.

There’s the laundry list of "what ifs" as free agency begins in just one week. What’s more, the Patriots have more than $125-million in cap space available. All the while, New England owns the No. 4 overall draft pick, a high-second-round selection, and two third-round selections. Each glaring roster need addressed by the Patriots through free agency will simplify and strengthen the staff’s position in the NFL Draft. Here are three free agents that could go a long way in shoring up the roster, and, in turn, launching New England into the draft with a compressed group of immediate roster needs.

The Patriots ranked 26th in third-down defense, 25th in red zone defense, 23rd in rushing defense, 22nd in total defense, and dead last in sacks (28) last season. Roster needs exist up and down the D-Line, but edge rushers represent the highest priority. The good news is this year’s crop of edge players is considered the deepest across the board. by Daniel Alameda | Mar 24, 2025 | Football, NFL <img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-987523941 lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/twsn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ashton-jeantyyyy.jpg?resize=1080%2C720&quality=89&ssl=1" alt="Ashton Jeanty" width="1080" height="720" srcset="https://twsn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ashton-jeantyyyy.jpg 1200w, https://twsn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ashton-jeantyyyy-980x653.jpg 980w, https://twsn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ashton-jeantyyyy-480x320.jpg 480w" sizes="(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1200px, 100vw"... The New England Patriots have a ton of options at Pick #4 in the 2025 NFL Draft, but there’s been a specific name that’s been thrown around and that’s Ashton Jeanty.

This may seem like an absolute reach, specifically since there hasn’t been a running back selected this high since 2016 with Ezekiel Elliott, but let’s break down why it could make sense. The Patriots are truly at a point where they truly just need elite players on their team. Jeanty immediately comes in and becomes a 20+ touch a guy for New England. The New England Patriots have been diligently working to build a well-rounded team around the potential future of the franchise, Drake Maye. The first step in stabilizing the situation was installing Mike Vrabel as head coach. But their efforts have also been focused on enhancing the roster.

Strengthening the defense was crucial to supporting Vrabel, while the front office has also prioritized providing Maye with offensive weapons. Yet, one analyst believes that one of the most significant additions of the offseason could come through the 2025 NFL Draft. Last year, the Patriots finished 26th on PFSN’s Offense+ metric. Some of that was due to starting a rookie quarterback, but Maye’s weapons were far from ideal. As a result, the Patriots were hard at work finding quality wide receivers to support him. Adding Mack Hollins and Stefon Diggs gives them two legitimate options on that front.

But the latest mock draft from PFSN has another game-changer in mind for them. “In true Patriots fashion, general manager Eliot Wolf and new head coach Mike Vrabel used free agency to shore up the roster’s biggest holes, setting themselves up to take the best player available in... Pro Football and Sports Network covers all the major professional sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, Tennis, WNBA, NASCAR, and more. Mock draft season is in full swing, with less than a month before the 2025 NFL Draft. The top three picks are seemingly spoken for, with Miami’s Cam Ward, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, and Penn State’s Abdul Carter expected to hear their names called first. The New England Patriots hold the fourth overall pick and will likely fall into a once-in-a-lifetime two-way talent.

Colorado’s Travis Hunter is the one player who could spoil the party for the top-three picks. The 2024 Heisman Trophy Winner dominated both sides of the ball last season and is the most intriguing prospect in recent memory. On the way to winning the Heisman, Hunter racked up 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns as a receiver. On defense, he added 36 tackles, four interceptions, and 11 pass breakups as a cornerback. Mock draft season is in full swing, with less than a month before the 2025 NFL Draft. The top three picks are seemingly spoken for, with Miami’s Cam Ward, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, and Penn State’s Abdul Carter expected to hear their names called first.

The New England Patriots hold the fourth overall pick and will likely fall into a once-in-a-lifetime two-way talent. Colorado’s Travis Hunter is the one player who could spoil the party for the top-three picks. The 2024 Heisman Trophy Winner dominated both sides of the ball last season and is the most intriguing prospect in recent memory. On the way to winning the Heisman, Hunter racked up 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns as a receiver. On defense, he added 36 tackles, four interceptions, and 11 pass breakups as a cornerback. He swept the major awards in 2024—winning the Walter Camp Award (best overall player), the Biletnikoff Award (top receiver), and the Bednarik Award (best defensive player)—and enters the 2025 draft as arguably the best...

What would the perfect draft look like for the New England Patriots? Since the end of the 2024 season, media members and fans have completed multiple mock drafts to rebuild the Patriots' roster back to a competitive state. The main areas of need are glaring and obvious. Left tackle has caused more headaches than nails on a chalkboard in New England. And the wide receiver situation has been underwhelming and disappointing since Tom Brady was taking snaps under center. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and lead personnel executive Eliot Wolf got off to a great start in their ability to add talent in free agency.

However, they'll need an even greater effort—and perhaps even some luck—to keep the train rolling in the draft. Here is the perfect, yet realistic, four-round mock draft for the Patriots, if everything went in their favor. Their biggest needs are obvious, but the way the Patriots will address them is not. NFL Network draft analyst Chad Reuter, who’s covered the event for nearly three decades, published a three-round mock draft. In doing so, Reuter addressed three of the most glaring needs on the Patriots: pass rush, offensive line and wide receiver. Reuter mocked Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter to the Patriots at No.

4 overall, after both Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders were off the board with two of the top three selections. “The Patriots land a difference-maker with the No. 4 pick,” Reuter wrote. “Carter’s speed and relentless nature immediately improve one of the league’s worst pass rushes, while his experience as both a hand-down and off-ball defender gives new coach Mike Vrabel flexibility up front.” Reuter then predicted the Patriots would draft Minnesota offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery with the 38th overall pick. From there, Reuter has the Patriots selecting Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond with the 69th overall pick and Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson at No.

Patriots Predicted To Fill Glaring Need By Selecting Generational

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