The New England Patriots find themselves in a precarious position in the 2025 NFL Draft. Currently armed with the No. 4 overall selection, there’s a chance the team comes up just short of landing a prime-time talent.
Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter and Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter are widely viewed as the top two players atop the draft. While the Tennessee Titans are all but locked in to taking Miami quarterback Cam Ward at No. 1 overall, the Cleveland Browns (No. 2) and New York Giants (No. 3) both seem to be shying away from taking Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, despite their drastic need of a building block signal-caller.
If Sanders’ stock continues to drop and both Cleveland and New York pass on him, that’ll result in both Carter and Hunter coming off the board before the Patriots are even on the clock. So what do they do from there? Well, they could simply draft for need and take LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell or maybe further bolster the defensive trenches with Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham. Or they could look to move down.
In that spirit, we’ve cooked up a couple of trade-down possibilities for New England in the first round with the assumption that Carter or Hunter is not available to them. We also highlighted one possibility where the Patriots could TRADE UP back into the first round to address another critical need on the depth chart.
Trade down to No. 6 with Raiders
Sure, the Raiders traded for Geno Smith earlier this offseason and inked him to a two-year extension, but I don’t think that’ll preclude them from exploring the quarterback market in the NFL Draft. After all, Smith is going to turn 35 years old next season, so it might be best to get out in front of that position and have a signal-caller develop behind him. Of course, Las Vegas could simply wait to see if Sanders falls to them at No. 6, but if they like the player they could ensure they land him by moving up just a couple of picks to No. 4 with New England. From a Patriots perspective, they’d probably be thrilled to move down a few spots, gain an asset (maybe another Day 2 pick) and still come away with a talent they would’ve been comfortable taking with the fourth pick like Campbell. Las Vegas has the fifth pick in the second round (No. 37 overall) and the fourth pick in the third round (No. 68 overall)
Trade down to No. 9 with Saints
Sticking with the hypothetical scenario where Sanders is on the board at No. 4, the Saints have suddenly become an interesting team to monitor in the draft as it relates to quarterbacks. Derek Carr’s 2025 season is now in question due to a shoulder injury, which increases New Orleans’ need for a quarterback. If it is enamored with Sanders, it could leap to the fourth pick above teams like the Raiders (No. 6) and even the Jets (No. 7) to secure the player. With the arrival of former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore as head coach, the Saints would be an intriguing landing spot for Sanders.
Meanwhile, similar to what we discussed above, the Patriots would welcome a trade-down in this scenario, especially if they can remain in the top 10 and address a key need while picking up an asset or two. New Orleans has three Day 2 picks (No. 40, No. 71, and No. 93 overall) in 2025, so there are pieces that would be attractive to New England even if the return isn’t monumental. At No. 9, Campbell, Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou and Georgia pass rusher Jalon Walker are all realistic options.
Trade up to No. 29 with Commanders
Ok, we’ve cooked up a couple of logical trade-down scenarios for New England, but let’s get weird with this last one. What if the Patriots trade up on Day 1 of the NFL Draft? No, I’m not suggesting they make a swing inside the top three to land either Carter or Hunter. Instead, we’re looking at the possibility of them moving into the back end of the first round, using their second-rounder (No. 38) as the key asset (among others) to jolt up.
With the fourth pick, let’s assume the Patriots take Campbell to solidify the left tackle position. While that addresses arguably the biggest need on the depth chart, New England still has plenty of holes to fill, judging by its 4-13 record last season. They also simply need talent, so a trade back into the first round could make sense. Specifically, the Commanders possess the 29th pick and have just five total selections. By trading down with New England, they’d only drop nine spots and would pick up additional assets to build around their young quarterback in Jayden Daniels.
As for the Patriots, they could look to address one of their two other pressing needs: pass rusher or wide receiver. When it comes to edge rushers, Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart or Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr. could be on their radar if they are still on the board, while Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka, Missouri’s Luther Burden III or Texas‘ Matthew Golden would be intriguing receiver additions.
The 2025 NFL Draft will take place from April 24 to 26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including daily mock drafts, consensus prospect rankings, biggest team needs and more.
This news was originally published on this post .
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