As Patriots ponder draft-day trade, other teams might not cooperate
New England may prefer to move down from the No. 4 pick in the 2025 draft, but a trade partner might not be out there. Then what?
ARLINGTON, TX – APRIL 26: The New England Patriots logo is seen on a video board during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas.
Tim Warner/Getty ImagesThe New England Patriots may want to move down from the No. 4 pick. But every trade takes two.
Recent reports from top Patriots insiders have lent insight into the team's plans in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but also indicated that one of their desired plans may not be possible. First, ESPN's Mike Reiss was asked to share what he could of his draft intel when presented with the following scenario: "Based on your reporting, the Patriots will __ at No. 4 if [Colorado cornerback/receiver] Travis Hunter and [Penn State edge rusher] Abdul Carter are off the board."
Reiss seems to believe it's a possibility that the Patriots would ponder moving down from the fourth pick if they strike out on Hunter and Carter, who have long been considered in a separate tier higher than the rest of the draft pool:
"Consider a trade. 'If somebody has an offer for us, I think we'd be willing to listen,' coach Mike Vrabel said, adding that the goal remains to come away with a 'premium' player and that he's open to a variety of possibilities if they help the team. Offensive lineman Will Campbell (LSU) and defensive tackle Mason Graham (Michigan) are among those who have taken predraft visits to New England."
Will Campbell, whom The Athletic's Chad Graff believes is the heavy favorite to land in New England, and Mason Graham have been among the most popular picks for the Patriots if they stay at No. 4 and the aforementioned top prospects are taken.
Just one problem: it doesn't sound like there's much, if anything at all, out there for Vrabel in terms of trade offers. The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport later said on X, echoing a comment by Buccaneers GM Jason Licht: "Not a lot of teams trying to move up."
Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesAdd those up, and you've got the kind of conclusion that ESPN's Matt Miller is drawing: "best player available." With no trade, Vrabel and the Patriots would be stuck deciding who they want out of a group of several, relatively even prospects.
It can be assumed that Campbell and Graham are on the shortlist. Two other names worth considering are Missouri's Armand Membou, who played right tackle in college, and Georgia edge rusher Jalon Walker. Both have come up in various Pats draft commentary in recent weeks, but only Walker has officially held a pre-draft visit with them.
No matter whom the Pats end up selecting out of the prospects mentioned above, they would be doing what Vrabel and the Pats set out to do this offseason, which is upgrade the trenches. They're still thin at two critical spots, left tackle and edge rusher, so they'll probably have to address them high in the draft. And there are a number of talented, if imperfect, prospects that will be there for the taking.
And they may have to just take someone, because it sounds like a trade will not be there for them.
