Patriots may be unable to trade 4th pick in 2025 draft
There remain a number of options for the Patriots at the fourth pick, but one potential idea is apparently not happening.
Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New England Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf during the NFL Scouting Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsWith the 2025 NFL Draft less than a week away, the buzz is growing about what the Patriots will do at No. 4. The overwhelming consensus seems to be that the Patriots are going to stick and pick LSU tackle Will Campbell, in fact he's the 'heavy favorite'.
However, considering the flaws with most of the guys who will be available at the top of the draft, some think trading back seems like an appealing option. That's because Campbell and the other players the Pats could pick at No. 4 would probably still be available at No. 8 or No. 9 if they traded back. That being said, some of the recent reporting suggests New England may be stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to trading their pick.
"Slim," Chad Graff of The Athletic said one source told him about the Patriots' ability to conjure a trade. "I talked to someone from a team who picks outside the top-10, and they said they’d be shocked if someone moved up for the fourth pick."
According to Graff, the "rationale" behind teams not looking to trade up to the Patriots' position is that the two bona fide stud players in the draft, Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter, are almost certainly going to be off the board in the top-three. The next 10 prospects are all in a second tier and are more-or-less interchangeable. Therefore, teams like the Saints (9) or Panthers (8) don't really have a compelling reason to give up capital to move up.
What makes this draft so unappealing to most teams is the lack of high-end quarterback talent. This is a two-QB draft, at best. Cam Ward is likely to go first and after him is Shedeur Sanders. But, Sanders is such an unknown - he's been projected to go as high as the top-three or as low as day 2.
All this means, Graff is right - a trade is unlikely. Unless some unexpected team gets super-quarterback-happy in the next week, New England will probably throw a blindfolded dart at the board with the No. 4 pick.
Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Read all his articles here, and follow him on X @LukeGraham05.
