Three days until Round One!
Here is my round by round breakdown of which players I think the New England Patriots should target in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Round One
This one is simple, in my opinion. If Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter fall to pick four, you sprint the card in. However, I would not bank on those two elite players being available.
Therefore, I think that the best option here is LSU offensive tackle, Will Campbell. Campbell may have shorter than desired arms, but his football IQ, leadership, young age, and three years of quality tape at LSU make him likely to be at worst a solid left tackle at the pro level.
Campbell was my selection in the full first round HuddleUK Mock Draft – which you can read here.
Round Two
If the Patriots are able to snag Carter or Hunter in the first round, I would advocate trading up in the back end of the first round to snag an offensive tackle – Josh Simmons or Josh Conerly jr. would be preferable given the need for a left tackle.
However, if they opt for Will Campbell and satisfy the team’s most desperate need, I really like edge rusher Nic Scourton, who has the size, athleticism, and pass-rush moves to be very scheme versatile.
However, if he is gone by pick #38, I have a real soft spot for TCU wide receiver Jack Bech, who is an absolute dog with a great story.
Round Three
I think there are a couple of options here. I believe that a sneaky need for the Patriots is free safety, as Kyle Dugger or Jabril Peppers are both far better in the box.
This is why I believe that Andrew Mukuba from Texas would be a great selection here. His intelligence and range make him a very attractive prospect to fill the hole at free safety.
Given we have two third round picks, I am also a fan of wide receiver Jaylin Noel, who has elite shiftiness at the top of his routes.
Round Four
Josh McDaniels is back, which means that a true pass catching running back is a must.
My ideal choice for this would be RJ Harvey out of UCF, who forces missed tackles like very few others in this draft. This is not a desperate need, but could make our backfield a strong group.
Round Five
Garret Bradbury is a solid short-term addition, but I believe we could steal the centre of the future in the fifth round with Ohio State’s Seth McLaughlin.
He allowed just eight pressures in more than 1,800 career snaps at Alabama and Ohio State, and could fall this far due to an Achilles tear in November.
Round Six
Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins would be one of my favourite picks in this draft, if we can snag in here.
This is a ball of clay, who has all the raw tools, but little polish. Patriots defensive co-ordinator, Terrell Williams, is a brilliant defensive line coach, and I would love to see what he can do with Tyrion.
Round Seven
These are all coin flips at this point in the draft, but Jalen Travis is an intriguing monster of a left tackle at 6’8” and 339lbs.
He has impressive athleticism for his size, but needs a lot of refinement. The seventh round is a great spot to take fliers on prospects like Travis.
