Wild 2025 mock draft has Patriots buying and selling No. 1 general choose initially appeared on NBC Sports activities Boston
The main target is on the long run in New England, to place it kindly.
The Patriots are anticipated to be one of many NFL’s worst groups in 2024, with their win complete set at simply 4.5 at most sportsbooks. The silver lining of futility, after all, is a excessive draft choose, which New England parlayed into potential future franchise quarterback Drake Maye with the third general choice within the 2023 NFL Draft.
That raises a enjoyable thought experiment: What would the Patriots do if that they had the No. 1 choose within the 2025 NFL Draft?
ESPN’s Subject Yates gave us one attainable situation in a brand new 2025 NFL mock draft during which New England picks first general — and makes a daring transfer. Yates has the Patriots buying and selling the No. 1 choose to the New York Giants for the No. 6 choice and “a number of” extra picks, then choosing Michigan cornerback Will Johnson at No. 6.
Listed here are the primary six picks in Yates’ mock, adopted by Yates’ clarification for the New England choose:
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Giants (by way of Patriots): Carson Beck, QB, Georgia
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Carolina Panthers: James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee
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Denver Broncos: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas
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Tennessee Titans: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
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Washington Commanders: Mykel Williams, Edge, Georgia
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Patriots: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
“I might say New England is extra prone to handle offensive sort out than cornerback subsequent spring, however I am simply not satisfied sufficient on the category’s second-best left sort out in my early tape examine to go that route and move up Johnson,” Yates wrote.
This could be a head-scratching transfer by Wolf and Co.
The Patriots have a significant weak point at offensive sort out, the place they’ve rotated via a number of gamers on the left and proper facet all through coaching camp and the preseason. The play of the offensive line has been so inconsistent that head coach Jerod Mayo admitted he restricted Maye to only one collection in New England’s preseason opener attributable to safety points.
Whereas Will Johnson and 2023 first-rounder Christian Gonzalez might kind a deadly younger cornerback duo, the Patriots have already got an above-average protection. Their focus must be on constructing round Maye whereas he is nonetheless on his rookie contract, and which means prioritizing their two greatest wants — offensive sort out and broad receiver — within the 2025 draft.
We’re not in opposition to buying and selling down in 2025, both. New England could be within the envious place of getting a prime choose however not needing a quarterback and will get worthwhile draft capital from a QB-needy staff. Buying and selling again for a cornerback makes little sense, although, and a wiser play could be to focus on a first-round choose the place the staff might take one of many prime offensive sort out prospects within the class.
That debate continues to be a good distance off, nonetheless, and for now, the Patriots are prepping for his or her preseason finale in opposition to 2024 No. 2 general choose Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders on Sunday evening.
