There’s good news out of the Senior Bowl when it comes to the New England Patriots‘ outlook in the 2025 NFL Draft.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports that “the building sentiment from scouts and executives” is that Miami quarterback Cam Ward is likely to go No. 1 overall.
If you’re the Patriots sitting with the No. 4 pick, you want as many quarterbacks as possible to go at the top of the board. New England already has its franchise quarterback in the form of Drake Maye. What they need are impact players at other positions.
This year’s draft has some prize prospects in the form of Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter and Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter. But the way mock drafts are looking right now, the chance of either one dropping to No. 4 isn’t great.
If Ward goes No. 1, that’s one player the Patriots aren’t considering drafting off the board. If Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders also gets drafted in the top three, that’s even better.
As things stand, New England is in a strong position to land a top offensive line prospect like Will Campbell or a prize receiver in Tetairoa McMillan.
But after seeing Hunter win the Heisman and Carter dominate in the College Football Playoff, it’d be pretty enticing for New England to land one of this year’s top overall players.
Even if the Patriots don’t want one of those top guys, there’s a good chance another team does. If Hunter or Carter drop to No. 4, New England might have potential trade partners calling them in hopes of trading up.
Trading down isn’t a popular option in New England. But if the Patriots can snag some extra picks (perhaps even a first-rounder), that would bode well for the Mike Vrabel Era.
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