Mock Draft Mailbag 1.0: Draft season is underway
The Mock Draft Mailbag returns for 2025. We flip the script and look at your reader-submitted mock drafts for the New England Patriots.
The initial wave of NFL free agency is in the books. With that attention now turns fully to the NFL Draft – as of Monday it’s just 38 days until the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
That also mean’s it’s the start of Mock Draft Mondays once again here on 985TheSportsHub.com (all of which can be found on our Offseason Hub website here). Between now and the draft, each Monday will have some sort of new mock draft content.
We’ll start off with the return of the Mock Draft Mailbag. For those who aren’t familiar, this is like the Patriots Mailbag we do during the regular season but instead of sending questions, people submit mock drafts for me to react to. I see you guys replying to my tweets with mock drafts all year an unfortunately can’t respond to them all, so this is my attempt to get to as many as I can.
As we go through the mock drafts there are of course going to be overlapping picks and trades. I’ll comment on a player, pick, trade, etc. the first time it comes up, and just know that’s the reaction to similar situations in other mocks. The goal here is to try and highlight as many players and scenarios as possible.
If you didn’t get a chance to submit a mock this week don’t worry, we’ll be doing two more of these later in on the pre-draft process. For now though, let’s get going with Mock Draft Mailbag 1.0…
Note: The way these tweets are displayed, some of the mocks are cropped. You’ll have to open them in Twitter/X to see the full draft.
The Patriots are taking some risks here, but there is upside. Armand Membou has raw talent but he’s a career right tackle, and already undersized for that spot. A move to left tackle would be a significant undertaking (unless the plan is to use that pick to have somebody ready to take over for Morgan Moses at right after this year). Mike Green also comes with some off-field concerns, which are why he’d be available that late.
I don’t see this as truly addressing the left tackle position, as opposed to turning it into a sheer numbers game for a competition. That being said, Donovan Jackson would give the Patriots a legitimate starting left guard. The later Day 2 picks of Elic Ayomanor and Kyle Kennard also could be quick contributors – Ayomanor as the top ‘X’ receiver who projects as more of a fit in Josh McDaniels’ offense than most receivers his size, and Kennard would add more speed in the pass rush.
Moving down from No. 4 to No. 12 is probably as far back as the Patriots should move without getting a future first round pick in the deal, but a current second and future second isn’t a bad return when factoring in the talent level in this draft.
As for the picks themselves – I like the players Danny takes here in the top 100 but I’m not sure how many of them make it to those spots – especially Hampton and Noel. I do like the Hollin Pierce pick at 106. That would give the Patriots one of the better project tackles in the draft while still doing something to immediately address the position taking Aireontae Ersery at 38.
This draft would be good for the Patriots simply because of the return in that trade. However, it might be a while before the team sees the impact of the picks themselves.
Josh Simmons and Seth McLaughlin are both coming off of significant late-season injuries and aren’t expected to be available to start the 2025 season. Meanwhile Mason Taylor would likely spend his rookie year second on the depth chart behind Hunter Henry. Tyleik Williams would probably have the best shot of making a Year 1 impact, playing next to Milton Williams (especially if Christian Barmore can’t play). Drew Kendall is also a good name for Patriots fans to know – he was the starting center under Doug Marrone at Boston College last year.
The Patriots are going to have to ask themselves leading up to the draft if they believe Will Campbell can play tackle with his measurements. If they do, this draft is aggressive but does a good job of addressing many of the team’s needs.
There are clear immediate roles for many of the top picks. Assuming the team thinks Campbell slots in at left tackle, you then have Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel giving the team an ‘X’ and Z/slot to round out the receiver room (although Noel may not make it to pick No. 69). Chris Paul adds needed man coverage skills at linebacker.
Alijah Huzzie adds much needed depth in the slot behind Marcus Jones, Carson Vinson and join the competition for the left tackle spot, and Gavin Bartholomew adds a blocking tight end to the mix. The running back pick at 106 makes sense, but D.J. Giddens is very similar stylistically to Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. The Patriots could want that kind of continuity, but I also wonder if they’ll look for more of a true receiving back in that spot. Overall though, this is a solid draft.
If Abdul Carter is on the board at No. 4 the Patriots should be running the card in. He’s the best player in this draft. Getting Luther Burden at No. 38 would be a similar stroke of luck – while there are some questions about Burden’s buy-in, his ceiling as a three-level threat and creator after the catch is tremendous.
Right now Travis Hunter is the second player on my Patriots’ draft list, behind Abdul Carter. If Hunter is on the board (big if) he should be the pick unless Carter is somehow there as well. Plus, getting Hunter would make it easier to swallow another top pick in Josh Simmons potentially not playing as a rookie.
Further down, Tate Ratledge projects as a starting guard, and Billy Bowman and Dante Trader provide good safety/cornerback versatility as depth options in the secondary. Kyle Monangi is a violent runner with some receiving upside to mix into the running back room.
Then there’s Savion Williams, who is a true lottery ticket. Williams is a tremendous athlete at 6-foot-4, 222 pounds but his technique from his hands to his route running needs to improve for him to play wide receiver at the NFL level. Last year at TCU Williams started playing some running back, which could be his path to getting on the field in the NFL. He’s drawn comps to Cordarrelle Patterson, who Josh McDaniels initially moved to running back with the Patriots in 2018.
Expect to see Tet McMillan in more Patriots mock drafts moving forwards. At the NFL Combine Mike Vrabel talked about how difficult it can be to add veteran top receivers and the need to draft successfully at that position. McMillan isn’t the level of prospect like Marvin Harrison Jr. or Malik Nabors last year but he still has significant upside. If the Patriots feel they’re only getting a ‘No. 1 WR’ through the draft, he’s their best option assuming Travis Hunter is off the board.
Being able to trade back up for Kelvin Banks would be a way to then solve the left tackle position, but 25 would represent a pretty steep drop for him. After that it’s a very solid Day 2 with the Patriots bolstering their offensive front with both power (Darius Alexander) and finesse (Josaiah Stewart), with a tight end with athletic upside in Elijah Arroyo in between. Continuing to invest at the guard position on Day 3 also makes sense.
Ozzy Trapilo is another good name for Patriots fans to know. He also played at Boston College under Doug Marrone last year. He’s not a Day 1 option, but as a right tackle the Patriots could take him and get him ready to replace Morgan Moses in a year or two.
Some of the later Day 3 picks stand out here as well. LeQuint Allen is an excellent pass-catching back if Josh McDaniels wants to bring back the passing down back role in full. This would also reunite Drake Maye with a couple of his UNC teammates in Willie Lampkin and Bryson Nesbit, but keep in mind Lampkin would be a historic outlier as an NFL-caliber offensive lineman after measuring in at the Senior Bowl at 5-foot-10, 270 pounds.
If the Patriots are going ‘best player available’ after moving down, Jihaad Campbell has a chance to be the answer (it could also potentially be another linebacker – Jalon Walker from Georgia). Either way between Campbell/Walker and Robert Spillane the Patriots would have a ton of athleticism and range playing off the ball, which would help them better defend offenses that use the entire width of the field.
Further down, I am a fan of Terrance Ferguson as a late Day 2/early Day 3 developmental tight end. He has the athleticism to create after the catch better than most players his size (6-foot-5, 247 pounds). Jo’quavioius ‘Woody’ Marks is another potential passing-down back, and you can’t go wrong taking a shot on an Iowa tight end that late in the draft.
Princely Umanmielen (oo-man-ME-ellen) fits the mold of the kind of rushers the Patriots have been targeting this offseason as a high-motor pass rusher who is more of a ceiling than a floor pick. Adding him in the middle of Day 3 would make sense.
Another strong Patriots fit here is Cam Jackson. Jackson is the kind of aggressive, attacking defensive tackle that Vrabel used in his defense in Tennessee, and plays that style at 6-foot-6, 328 pounds. He’s a project player, but one with significant upside.
Most of the submissions that had tackle with the second pick went with Aireontae Ersery with that pick, but here it’s Josh Conerly. Ersery seems to be more in line stylistically with what the Patriots are building on the offensive line (bigger, more powerful), but Conerly realistically should be considered as well.
Staying on the offensive line, how about keeping the Georgia-to-New England center pipeline going? Jared Wilson has been a fast riser during this draft process despite just one year as a full-time starter, but there’s a lot to like about what he showed in 2024. The fact he’s a one-year starter and projects as just a center without guard versatility could knock him down in the draft a bit, but for the center-needy Patriots that could be to their benefit.
Finally, this draft addressed the need at kicker with Ben Sauls. The Patriots have traditionally targeted kickers with college experience kicking in inclement weather, and Sauls is the best kicker in this draft that fits that description.
Dylan Sampson would be a great get for the Patriots at 105. A well-rounded back who was a key part of Tennessee’s offense last year, he’d be a great complement for Rhamondre Stevenson in an early-down role.
I want to highlight some of the later picks in Sham’s mock draft here. One is Anthony Belton, who moves very well for a player at 6-foot-6, 336 pounds. Belton primarily played on the left side in college but projects as a player with left-right versatility. He could be a solid swing tackle early on, and potentially develop into a starting right tackle.
Mac McWilliams was a Senior Bowl standout who has some flashes of Jonathan Jones in his game. McWilliams has the experience playing primarily outside in college but projects as more of a slot cornerback in the NFL. He could also get some run at safety. Wherever he lines up, he plays bigger than his size and competes hard for the football.
Isaac TeSlaa was a Combine standout who is a big slot receiver at 6-foot-4, 214 pounds. He’s more of a vertical player than a chain mover, but would be an interesting developmental project who could contribute on special teams as he further develops his offensive game.
A J.J. Pegues sighting! Pegues is a Swiss Army Knife. Not only can he play multiple spots on the defensive line at 6-foot-2, 309 pounds but Ole Miss also used him as a fullback last year. He even ran some pass-catching drills at the Combine. He’d give the Patriots depth at multiple spots up front defensively, and could be a fun chess piece for Josh McDaniels.
Donovan Ezeiruaku at 38 feels like a very realistic pick for the Patriots. Doug Marrone didn’t coach him but did get to see him day-to-day at BC, and he’s the kind of undersized but explosive rusher that had success under Vrabel in Tennessee.
There are a couple of solid late Day 3 picks in this mock draft as well. Donovan Edwards has some shades of Rex Burkhead and seems like an ideal scheme fit for Josh McDaniels in a depth role, and Nazir Stackhouse is also here late on Day 3 if the Patriots want to boost their interior run defense.
I’d be curious to see what the return here was from the Raiders, and if there was a quarterback still on the board. From that spot though this draft does a good job addressing the trenches and building depth on both sides of the ball.
