Patriots Writer Lists 5 Reasons Why They Need To Trade Up To The First

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 18, 2025, 9:27 AM

patriots writer lists 5 reasons why they need to trade up to the first

When discussing the best course of action for the Patriots regarding their third overall pick in the upcoming draft, who they should draft or the position they should prioritize continues to be a hot... Fans and media seem to be split on whether they should take advantage of their high selection and take one of the best quarterbacks of the class or if they should focus on improving... Although having the third overall pick is not a bad position, the two teams ahead of them on the board could take players the Patriots really want, or they could be the ones to... That's the basis for the first reason Patriots Wire listed in their piece. This is a fair argument, given no team wants to pick in the top 5 because that means they played badly the previous year. In the Patriots case, it's taken them nearly 30 years to reach a pick as high as the third overall, which has stripped them of many chances of getting some of the most touted...

Because only three quarterbacks are considered true contenders to go in the top ten, if not in the first round entirely, New England can't afford to wait or convince themselves the quarterback they want... There aren't many to choose from, and the two teams ahead of them, the Bears and Commanders, could be looking at the same players they are.If they feel there's a massive difference between the... This seems evident to nearly everyone, but some have speculated that either could be a bridge quarterback for the 2024 season if the Patriots forgo a quarterback in the first and take a receiver... It's rare to see the New England Patriots pick inside of the top-10 of an NFL draft, much less them being a top-three pick on the board. So the fact that they're sitting at No. 3 overall in the 2024 NFL draft is a miracle in itself.

This isn't an opportunity that comes along often for the Patriots, and they're going to need to make the best use of this moment while they have it. Some would suggest they play it safe by trading down, accumulating more draft picks and building up their offensive roster, before truly addressing the quarterback issue. Perhaps they'll take a receiver or even an offensive tackle at No. 3 overall, while handing over the quarterback reins to Bailey Zappe, Mac Jones or another veteran option. Or, they could decide to fully take advantage of their position by moving up to draft the quarterback of their choosing. There would be no leaving things up to chance.

They could put themselves in position to take the top player on the draft board. Here are five reasons why the Patriots should trade up to the No. 1 overall pick and get their quarterback of the future: The New England Patriots are a team in transition. Everything is in flux, from a new Head Coach and his coaching staff to a new player personnel guy to the necessity for a total roster transformation. Mike Vrabel has to make the 2025 offseason as successful as last year's, which was a total flop (absent Drake Maye).

Good teams are molded in the offseason. As for the Patriots in 2024, an offseason that fails inevitably leads to a similar season. It ain't rocket science. There is no season in the NFL, or any other league for that matter, than the one in front of you. Any other is an illusion. The Patriots have to build for and plan to win now.

Vrabel has to spend well and sign only the best possible free agents at positions of need. In the draft, forget to trade down for "value." Draft a few players who improve your team at key positions and forget anything else. There's one player in the draft who warrants a major investment. It's Colorado's Travis Hunter. If Mike Vrabel isn't convinced that you win with top players and scout and bring in the rest, then this theory can be thrown out the window. The speculation here is that he's very astute and knows you only win with enough top players.

He'll act accordingly. The best player in the draft and college football is Travis Hunter, who excels at not one but two positions: wide receiver, a top Patriots need, and cornerback. A meaningless, foolish win against the Buffalo Bills B-team in January tossed the number one pick out and also may have sealed the fate of then-Head Coach Jerod Mayo. The Patriots are open to trading the fourth overall pick under the right circumstances. Owning the fourth overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots are prepared to make a pick. Who it will be remains to be seen, even though LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell appears to be the favorite at the moment.

There is another scenario the team would entertain, though: trading down from No. 4 in order to obtain more capital in what is a meaty middle section in this year’s draft. As of Wednesday evening, there has not been a run for the Patriots’ first-round pick, but things can change quickly the closer the eventual selection comes. Of course, not every team is interested in climbing up the board; neither does every trade proposal makes sense for the clubs involved. That being said, let’s put our “trade speculation” hat on and assess what we believe to be three at least somewhat realistic scenarios for the Patriots trading down from the fourth overall pick. All of the valuation will be done using Joseph Hefner’s draft trade alue calculator.

Not much good comes out of back-to-back 4-13 seasons in the NFL, but there is a least one good thing: back-to-back high draft picks. For the New England Patriots, that meant the No. 3 overall pick in 2024 — their highest slot since Robert Kraft took over as owner in 1994. The year before he took over, the pre-Kraft Patriots owned the No. 1 pick and used it to draft the quarterback they believed would turn the team’s then-dismal fortunes around, Washington State’s Drew Bledsoe. With their No.

3 pick last year, they did the same thing, drafting quarterback-of-the-future Drake Maye out of North Carolina. In 2025, after their second consecutive 4-13 campaign, the Patriots own the No. 4 overall pick — again, a valuable commodity. But they no longer need a quarterback. So what do they do with their highly prized pick? Conventional wisdom has held that the Patriots, who — after winning just 33 of their 85 games in the five seasons since legendary quarterback Tom Brady left the team — are in need of...

That way, they can add additional draft selections and speed up the revamp of their roster. But on the February 28 edition of the FS1 sports talk show Speak, former 11-year NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson — himself the NFL’s No. 1 overall draft pick out of USC in 1996 — urged the Patriots to go in exactly the opposite direction. According to Johnson’s argument, New England should trade the No. 4 pick not down to collect additional assets, but up — even though that move would certainly result in the Patriots owning fewer draft picks than they do now. The Tennessee Titans, who currently hold the top pick, would likely require multiple picks to give it up.

It’s rare to see the New England Patriots pick inside of the top-10 of an NFL draft, much less them being a top-three pick on the board. So the fact that they’re sitting at No. 3 overall in the 2024 NFL draft is a miracle in itself. This isn’t an opportunity that comes along often for the Patriots, and they’re going to need to make the best use of this moment while they have it. Some would suggest they play it safe by trading down, accumulating more draft picks and building up their offensive roster, before truly addressing the quarterback issue. Perhaps they’ll take a receiver or even an offensive tackle at No.

3 overall, while handing over the quarterback reins to Bailey Zappe, Mac Jones or another veteran option. Or, they could decide to fully take advantage of their position by moving up to draft the quarterback of their choosing. There would be no leaving things up to chance. They could put themselves in position to take the top player on the draft board. Here are five reasons why the Patriots should trade up to the No. 1 overall pick and get their quarterback of the future:

The New England Patriots are leading the AFC East heading into Sunday of Week 9. They may have arrived just a bit ahead of schedule, but now isn't the time to rest on their laurels, either. The NFL trade deadline is coming on Nov. 4, and this is a final chance to improve the roster. An intriguing position of need suggested by ESPN's Bill Barnwell is running back. He cites three simple reasons that the Pats could use a new RB:

Barnwell doesn't suggest a big splash move. The Pats wouldn't be likely to try and get Jets star Breece Hall, for example. The New England Patriots could face a difficult decision in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft next month. If Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter — in the eyes of many, the top two prospects in this top-heavy class — are off the board by the time the Pats go on the clock... Should they pick the draft’s top offensive lineman, Will Campbell of LSU, even though he’d be a major outlier if he plays well at left tackle? Should they select the best tackle available, Missouri’s Armand Membou, even if he’s not the best player available?

Or should they go with a surprise pick like wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan of Arizona, Penn State tight end Tyler Warren or defensive tackle Mason Graham of Michigan? Many draft experts and executives see Carter, Hunter and Miami quarterback Cam Ward as making up the first tier of prospects. Then there’s a group of seven or eight players who seem to be jumbled up in the second tier. Of course, there’s the “none of the above” response. The Patriots might be best served to trade back from No. 4 (especially considering all of their holes).

The problem there is that it might be difficult to find a trade partner when there’s no clear-cut “best available player” worth moving up for. If most teams have players 4 through 10 ranked pretty similarly, why make a deal to move up to No. 4? But there are a lot of reasons teams move up in the draft. They could have an antsy owner. Or a head coach and general manager who need to do something aggressive to keep their jobs.

Patriots Writer Lists 5 Reasons Why They Need To Trade Up To The First

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