Mock Draft Mailbag 2.0: Less than a month to go
With less than one month to go until the 2025 NFL Draft, what are Patriots fans looking for the team to do? It’s time to take a look with a new Mock Draft Mailbag.
As the calendar gets ready to flip to April, NFL Draft season has hit full swing. That means it’s time for a new edition of the Mock Draft Mailbag.
Last time we did this exercise, the New England Patriots were just coming out of free agency. The team has since made more moves, and we’ve gotten more information on prospects between pro days and top-30 visits.
For those who are unfamiliar, the Mock Draft Mailbag is like the mailbag we do during the season, but instead of sending in questions people send in their mock drafts for reactions. If you missed this one don’t worry, there will be one more before the draft at the end of April.
We got plenty of submissions this time around, and with so many mock drafts to go through there are overlaps in terms of picks and trades. Odds are my thoughts on a player or trade are the same across all mocks, so I’ll mention it once. Assume the same reaction for other mock drafts where that situations occurs.
Alright, let’s get started…
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.
Right away, we start with a draft that focuses on the trenches. Will Campbell’s pro day measurement should help teams (and fans) feel more comfortable about him playing tackle. Emery Jones was a three-year starter at right tackle for LSU, and could play some guard as well. He had a down season in 2024 so this could be a value pick if the Patriots believe more in his tape from 2022 and 2023. Finally, just outside of the top 100 this mock draft adds a ceiling center in Jared Wilson. In between all of that, Kyle Kennard adds another pass rusher to the defensive front.
On Day 3, the Oronde Gadsen pick is a good one. Gadsen is stylistically similar to one of Drake Maye’s top college weapons in Bryson Nesbit, but with more catch-and-run ability. He probably should be talked about more for the Patriots than he has been. Jordan Hancock adds needed depth at multiple spots in the secondary.
The Patriots’ other option at tackle at the top of the draft is Armand Membou. If the Patriots are worried about Campbell’s length they could look to draft Membou, but would still have to work on developing him at left tackle after he spent his entire career in college at right tackle. In this mock draft the Patriots continue upgrading the offense by drafting Jayden Higgins, giving them size on the outside and allowing Stefon Diggs to play from multiple alignments.
After that there’s a run on defense with three players who are notable fits for Mike Vrabel’s system. Josaiah Stewart gives the Patriots another speed rusher off the edge, and Chris Paul Jr. is the kind of athletic coverage linebacker the team has been adding. Andrew Mukuba gives them a potential free safety to complement Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers.
Then it’s back to offense with a bowling ball back in Damien Martinez, followed by a couple of more offensive linemen. Carson Vinson is a good fit in this range of the draft given he can provide depth at both tackle and guard. Finally kicker Ben Sauls, who is one of the few kickers in this draft with experience kicking in inclement weather – something that has historically mattered to the Patriots.
If the Patriots really want to get serious about fixing the offensive line, this mock draft offers a way. After taking a tackle with the first pick (in this case Kelvin Banks on a trade-back, which makes sense), they grab one of the top guards in the draft in Grey Zabel. Pick 38 might be a bit low for the North Dakota State prospect, but the Patriots could realistically move up from 38 to get him in the same way we’ve talked about them potentially moving up for a tackle or receiver. It’s a very singular focus approach, but if there’s a place to take that approach the offensive line makes the most sense.
From there the Patriots continue adding players with a clear path to making an impact in Year 1. Xavier Watts is another potential deep safety, Princely Umanmielen adds another pass rusher with burst, and Jaylin Noel would be a good fit in a volume slot role. Furter down Bryson Nesbit and Jake Majors are good developmental players at their positions, although Majors at 220 might be an unrealistic fall.
As for the other UNC pick, Willie Lampkin is a tough projection. He’s significantly undersized for the offensive line, checking in at 5-foot-10, 270 pounds at the Senior Bowl. There has been some talk of him playing fullback – which is a need for the Patriots – but it’s harder to see where he fits on the offensive line.
That is a wild first three, but if that’s the way the board falls then Abdul Carter is the clear pick for the Patriots. At the end of the day the NFL Draft is about adding talented football players, and Carter looks like the best player in this class.
However, that doesn’t mean the Patriots can be less urgent in filling holes they need filled – especially when it comes to finding a starting left tackle. Aireontae Ersery as the next pick after Carter makes a lot of sense, but after the run on tackles last year it’s not lock he makes it to Pick 38. The Patriots might need to move up to get him. After that the Patriots wrap up Day 2 with a couple of high-floor players in Mason Taylor and Cam Skattebo. Both have a chance to be impact starters, but come into the league looking very NFL-ready.
Day 3 starts off with a true project player in 6-foot-7, 340-pound Deone Walker, who with the right coaching could be a chess piece in the middle of the defense but has a lot of room to grow his game. From there it’s solid depth adds in Billy Bowman, Ricky White, and Teddye Buchanan. White in particular has a very high special teams upside – he block four punts just last year alone. This mock draft wraps up with a potential pass-catching back in Jo’Quavious ‘Woody’ Marks.
I’d love to see the sequence of trades that set up this board. Banks and Matthew Golden back-to-back would be a great start though, giving the Patriots a potential answer at left tackle and a receiver who is a great fit for Josh McDaniels’ system. Adding Omarion Hampton on top of that would be a big boost for the offense as well, but it seems unrealistic at this point he’ll get to Pick 40, or even Pick 38.
From there this mock draft adds another combo lineman in Jonah Savaiinaea, who could compete for the starting guard job while also offering depth at tackle. Tre Harris then completes the wide receiver room as a true outside ‘X’ type.
After going receiver-tackle-receiver at the top of the draft the Patriots add some situational players here later on. TreVeyon Henderson is a do-it-all back who could push Rhamondre Stevenson for touches if the Patriots are worried about where he’s at. Cobee Bryant is a ballhawking cornerback prospect similar to J.C. Jackson or Jack Jones, who could be a good player to develop behind Carlton Davis.
There are a couple of other good names for Patriots fans to know later on here. Elijah Roberts is a big, powerful rushing defensive end who profiles similarly to Keion White, but without the same floor. Coming from Boston College, Drew Kendall is likely on the Patriots’ radar as a potential developmental center after working with Doug Marrone at BC last year.
If the Patriots could pick up that many picks by moving down just four spots and still get Campbell, that’d be solid. This is another mock draft that goes with the tackle-receiver combo at the top.
Further down, Dylan Sampson is a good pick here although there’s a decent chance he doesn’t make it to 106. Sampson is a threat when he gets in the open field – something Tennessee’s wide spread offense helped him do quite a bit – both as a rusher and a receiver. He’d be a good complement as a big play threat, with Stevenson as more of a down-to-down grind-it-out back.
Down in the 200s there are two other likely Patriots targets. Cam Jackson is the kind of athletic interior defender that has had success in Vrabel’s system. He’s very raw but has some exciting tools to work with at 6-foot-6, 328 pounds. Kicker Andres Borregales is another one if the Patriots aren’t as worried about experience in inclement weather. Sampson, Jackson, and Borregales have all met with the Patriots.
This is a very realistic top of the draft of the Patriots. If Travis Hunter falls he’s a clear option, and then Josh Conerly Jr. is more of a stylistic fit than the other tackles in that range (but again, it may take a trade up to get him). Kyle Kennard is another speed rusher in that late Day 2 range who would add another dynamic to the Patriots’ front.
On Day 3, Brashard Smith is a potential passing-down back who could fill the ‘Kevin Faulk/James White role’ in McDaniels’ offense. A converted wide receiver, he also has special teams upside.
Hopefully Steve got more than just second and third round picks in this mock draft for moving down from Pick 4 to Pick 10. In doing so he landed Tyler Warren, who would give the Patriots an immediate contributor at a position Drake Maye seems to really like throwing to. If the Patriots draft Warren, expect them to go heavy 12 personnel for the next few years. That’s not disqualifying, but something to think about when considering the Penn State TE.
Donovan Ezeiruaku projects as a Patriots fit, but it’s tough to see how they get him. In this scenario it works, but it’s unlikely he falls that far. He has a chance to go in the back end of the first round, so the team may need to actually trade up to get him.
This is another mock draft that does a good job of addressing the offensive line. We’ve already discussed Ersery, and then Mbow gives them a developmental player who could end up at right tackle or a guard spot. Luke Kandra and Vinson further add to that depth, but this might be a reach for Kandra. In the running back room, the Patriots get a well-rounded back in Cam Skattebo who could fill a Rex Burkhead-like role (although 104 may be late for him).
Pick 69 is probably a little late for Darius Alexander, but he very well could be in play for the Patriots at 38. Alexander is a hyper-athletic defensive tackle at 6-foot-4, 305 pounds who should be able to play some on the edge situationally in the NFL. If the Patriots are worried about Christian Barmore’s availability, he’d be a logical player to add to that room.
There’s another defensive tackle in this mock draft that has come up a few times so far – Nazir Stackhouse from Georgia. At 6-foot-4, 327 pounds Stackhouse is a pure run stopper. Later on Day 3, the Patriots could use a player like that to put on the field with Khyiris Tonga in obvious running situations.
Ideally the Patriots would get more trading back this far, but if they’re not sold on any players on the board they may not be getting ideal offers. Still this is an underpay by the Niners and typically the team moving up overpays at least a little. At the very least, the Patriots should be getting another mid-Day 3 pick (San Francisco has both 138 and 147, so probably something in that range).
Another tough draw for the Patriots in this mock draft is Anthony Belton at Pick 38. This is a significant reach for Belton – but there’s also a real chance he’s the best left tackle on the board if Conerly, Ersery, and Josh Simmons all go in the first round/before Pick 38. That’s not the most likely outcome but it’s definitely not impossible either, and would mirror the tackle run we saw last year. At that point the Patriots would have to ask themselves if they want to take a significant reach to fill a need, or get creative and look elsewhere.
There are a few Patriots fits later in this mock draft. In the previous defensive system, Kevin Winston Jr. would be a clear prototype as an athletic hybrid box safety and nickel cornerback who was a team captain. If the Patriots take him, it’s a sign not everything is changing on defense.
Then there’s J.J. Pegues. Not only is Pegues a multi-position player along the defensive line at 6-foot-2, 309 pounds, Ole Miss also used him as a short-yardage running back last year when he had 21 carries for 69 yards and seven touchdowns. With that experience, he could get looks as a fullback in New England.
Ah, finally an Ashton Jeanty mock. There is a case to be made for the Patriots taking Jeanty – they’ve talked quite a bit about simply taking the ‘best player available’ and if Hunter and Carter are gone, that player would be Jeanty.
If that’s the route the Patriots go though, I’d be good to see them hyper-focus on the offensive line immediately after. Conerly is a good start, but it might make more sense to try and find a starting guard at Pick 69, or even couple 67 and 77 to move up and get a player like Donovan Jackson from Ohio State.
First off, good job on both of these trades. Minnesota is a likely trade-up partner for the Patriots given their lack of overall picks in the draft. They then add a top-100 pick and one overall pick by moving down slightly in the third round.
There are a couple of sneaky-good Patriots fits on Day 3 of this mock draft. One is Mitchell Evans, who was limited in what he could show at Notre Dame between playing in a run-heavy offense and tearing his ACL in 2023. He had a solid bounce-back year in 2024 and should take another step in 2025 if he stays healthy. He’s still be behind Hunter Henry on the depth chart (and initially, Austin Hooper), but has the blocking skills to carve out a role immediately and the upside to potentially become a starter down the road.
The other is Isaac TeSlaa. He’s a field-stretcher from the slot who could give Drake Maye a deep ball option with a big catch radius. He also projects as a core special teams player who ran a 4.43 40 at 6-foot-4, 214 pounds.
This mock draft is one of only two we got that includes a quarterback pick. If the Patriots are going to add to their quarterback room in the draft Tyler Shough is among the most likely targets. He has the size (6-foot-5, 219 pounds) and arm strength the team has targeted under Eliot Wolf, but also has the experience (seven-year college player with 32 starts between three schools) that should appeal to Josh McDaniels. However if the Patriots want him they’d probably have to be more aggressive – in this weaker QB class he’s expected to be an early Day 3 pick, or potentially even sneak into Day 2.
As for the trades here, the one at the top is probably a pipe dream at this point. The odds of a Garrett Wilson trade decreased significantly once the Jets moved on from Aaron Rodgers. There are also a couple of trades involving future picks. I’m expecting that to be rare this year, with teams being hesitant to move future assets for a weaker draft. Those that are though should be rewarded, as those future picks will likely be worth more than usual for that same reason.
We’ve had plenty of Jack Bech picks in this exercise so far, so we won’t let him go unmentioned. Bech would be a versatile option for the Patriots. They could develop him as an ‘X’ or move him inside and turn him into a slot receiver with his reliable hands and ability to make plays through contact. If McDaniels wants more of a Jakobi Meyers type than a Julian Edelman type in the slot, Bech could be the guy.
Barrett Carter screams Patriots fit with this new defense. He handled a wide range of assignments for Clemson, and stands out in the passing game both in coverage and as a blitzer.
This mock draft also has another quarterback pick in Kurtis Rourke – whose brother Nathan played for the Patriots in 2023. Rourke played through the entire 2024 season on a torn ACL, which will leave teams needing to look more at his previous tape from his time at Ohio (he transferred to Indiana last spring). He has a powerful arm, but puts the ball in harms way more often than he needs to.
