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For the most part, the New England Patriots have done the work they needed to do in free agency, as they put their abundance of cap space to good use by shoring up their defense while adding some key pieces on offense too. There are still several holes that need to be filled, though, which means that the team's attention will be shifting to the 2025 NFL draft.
The Patriots are armed with nine draft picks heading into the draft, highlighted by the No. 4 overall selection. With their second rounder and a pair of third round picks following behind, New England has the flexibility to move up and down the board as they please. That could come in handy right off the bat, as the Pats could potentially trade down from the No. 4 pick, or combine some of their Day 2 picks to move back into the first round.
There are several potential avenues for the Patriots to take when the first round of the draft gets underway, but which is the best of the best? That's what we will set out to explore here, so let's take a closer dive into New England's draft day preparation and figure out what the team should do once they are on the clock with the No. 4 pick.
Patriots ideal first round scenario for 2025 NFL draft
New England is in an interesting spot with the No. 4 pick, and much of what they do will depend on how the first three picks of the draft play out. The overarching assumption right now seems to be that Cam Ward will go to the Tennessee Titans, Abdul Carter will get scooped by the Cleveland Browns, and Shedeur Sanders will land with the New York Giants.
But anything could happen, and none of these picks seems truly set in stone. The Titans have left the door open for a potential trade involving the No. 1 overall pick, the Browns could ultimately decide they need a quarterback too and take Sanders, and the Giants are rumored to be interested in Colorado football's two-way superstar Travis Hunter.
There's a myriad of different things the Patriots could do as a result of what happens in front of them. If either Carter or Hunter fall to them, the assumption is they would select them. If both are off the board, they could look to fill their biggest need at left tackle, where Will Campbell and Armand Membou loom as the top options available. Or, they could trade and look to accrue some more draft capital.
Let's assume that Ward, Carter, and Sanders come off the board ahead of New England. That means Hunter falls to them, at No. 4, and they would be wise to select him if this were to happen. Hunter starred as both a wide receiver in 2024 with Colorado (96 receptions, 1,258 yards, 15 touchdowns) and as a cornerback (46 tackles, four interceptions, 11 pass breakups), giving the Patriots coaching staff several options when it comes to deploying him.
Should the Pats address left tackle at No. 4? If either Carter or Hunter are available, the answer is no, but even if they aren't it feels like a reach to select either Campbell or Membou at this spot. If Carter and Hunter have been picked, trading back feels like the smart decision, as they could conceivably swing a deal with a quarterback-needy team (since Sanders would still be on the board in this scenario) like the New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders, or New Orleans Saints, add another pick to their collection, and still land one of Campbell or Membou.
In the ideal scenario, though, the Patriots get Hunter and utilize him as a full-time receiver on offense and a part-time cornerback on defense. Pairing Hunter with Stefon Diggs would immediately give quarterback Drake Maye two standout targets in the air that he did not have in 2024 as a rookie. On defense, the Pats have their cornerback duo of Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis set, but using Hunter in obvious passing situations when an extra defensive back is needed could make their secondary even more airtight.
Of course, selecting Hunter means that left tackle is still left unaddressed. New England could simply wait until the second round to address this need, but there are a couple more guys who could get selected behind Campbell and Membou in the first round that the Patriots should target. Josh Simmons and Kelvin Banks Jr. seem likely to get selected in the 15-25 pick range, while Josh Conerly Jr. is a late first/early second pick.
If New England stays put, they'd likely be hoping Conerly would fall to them at the No. 38 pick, but that's a risk that probably would not work out for them. Offensive tackles are incredibly valuable, especially when you can play left tackle and protect the quarterback's blind side. Conerly may fall to the second round, but chances are he won't make it to pick No. 38.
Trading up makes the most sense in this scenario, with either Simmons or Banks being the target. Both guys have their different question marks, as Simmons is working his way back from shoulder surgery, while Banks has a ton of upside, but he is still a bit raw for the time being. There's risk associated with making either of them a starter from the get-go in 2025, but New England doesn't have a ton of options.
Using their second-round pick and one of their thirds should be enough for the Patriots to trade back into the first round somewhere in the No. 20-pick range to get their left tackle of the future. In a truly ideal world, one of Campbell or Membou slides this far, but that'd be wishful thinking. Simmons is probably the safer option, but Banks could end up being the best left tackle in this draft class. Considering who the Pats had at left tackle in 2024, either one of these guys will do, but Simmons seems like the better bet to be ready to go for Week 1, which is what the team needs.
If all goes according to plan, New England manages to add another top target for Maye in the passing game, while also filling their biggest need at left tackle. One of the teams ahead of them could throw a wrench in their plans and select Hunter, but it seems more and more likely that he will end up falling to the Patriots at No. 4. And if that happens, that would allow the team to put this perfect first round strategy into play.
