New England Sits Fourth in 2025 NFL Draft Position After Week 12

The 2025 NFL Draft remains five months away, but the draft order is coming into focus. Three NFL teams have only two wins through Week 12. Five other teams have won three games, including the 3-9 New England Patriots. Based on having the easiest strength of schedule among those three-win teams, the Patriots currently own the fourth overall selection in the draft.

New England can still finish with an 8-9 record and fall out of the top ten picks. If the Patriots remain close to the top of the draft order, there are several attractive options. It would mark the first time since 1993-1994 that the Patriots picked in the top five in consecutive drafts. The last time it occurred, New England selected Drew Bledsoe (No. 1, 1993) and Willie McGinest (No. 4, 1994).

The Patriots secured their quarterback by drafting Drake Maye third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. This takes a QB off the table for New England in Round 1. But the team should still be rooting for the top quarterback prospects to improve their draft stock. It could push other prospects back to New England, or cause teams to offer better trade packages to land a quarterback.

Also Read – Meet the New England Patriots 2024 NFL Draft Class

Trading Down in the Draft

A popular thought for the Patriots’ plans is trading down to pick up multiple selections. New England has a lot of needs, making this an attractive option. But it is worth noting that, as of now, no NFL team has multiple first-round picks to trade. Trading No. 4 to pick up No. 10 and No. 41 (for example) might not be appealing enough for Eliot Wolf to trade out.

Only two quarterbacks, from this perspective, are expected to be drafted in Round 1. Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shadeur Sanders will hear their names called early. New England’s hope would be that both go ahead of them to quarterback-needy teams like the Giants or Raiders. Or one could remain on the board and tempt a team like the Titans, Jets, or Browns to move up the board for their services.

Whether Patriots fans want to keep or trade the team’s first-round pick, Ward and Sanders performing well will benefit New England.

Select Tetairoa McMillan

New England selected Ja’Lynn Polk in the second round (No. 37) of the 2024 NFL Draft. The wide receiver has struggled early in his NFL career. The rookie has 12 receptions for 87 yards and two touchdowns through 12 games. Polk has not done enough to prevent the Patriots from taking another receiver early in 2025.

Free agency opens up before the NFL Draft takes place. If the Patriots sign Tee Higgins in free agency, they will not use the fourth overall selection on another receiver. If they don’t sign Higgins, or trade for another proven wideout, drafting Arizona’s Tetoiroa McMillan should be under serious consideration.

McMillan sits atop the wide receiver prospects in April’s draft. He combines physical gifts with receiving skills. He caught 90 passes for 1,402 yards and ten touchdowns in 2023. This season, McMillan has 78 receptions for 1,251 yards and seven touchdowns, with one game remaining.

The Hawaii native is listed at 6-foot-5 and 212 pounds. His closest NFL comparison is Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Mike Evans. McMillan would immediately give Drake Maye a trusted receiving option he could grow with.

Add an Offensive Tackle

Two things have become clear in 2024. New England needs help at offensive tackle, and the Patriots prefer letting Mike Onwenu (their best offensive tackle) remain at right guard. Even if Caedan Wallace can earn a starting role in 2025, the Patriots adding a starting-caliber tackle in the offseason is necessary.

The top two offensive tackles in the 2025 NFL Draft are LSU’s Will Campbell and Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr. Neither player stacks up to the top offensive tackle from 2024, Joe Alt. Getting selected fourth overall seems high for either prospect, though it is a position of need for New England. Somebody like Garrett Boles of the Broncos could pique their interest in free agency. However, if go offensive tackle in the draft, Campbell and Banks appear to be the best options. That said, need or not, fourth overall does seem too early for either.

Draft a Defensive Stud

Unlike 2024, the 2025 draft class features more talent on the defensive side of the ball. Michigan’s Will Johnson would make for a formidable cornerback duo in New England opposite Christian Gonzalez. Johnson’s Wolverines teammate Mason Graham looks NFL-ready at defensive tackle and should go early as well. However, Graham doesn’t necessarily fill any of the Patriots most glaring needs.

The edge rushers in April’s draft are plentiful in quality. Penn State’s Abdul Carter, Georgia’s Mykel Williams, Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton, and Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr. will be among those considered in the top ten. New England would likely have their pick of the litter at No. 4.

Take Travis Hunter

It’s still not clear whether Colorado’s two-way phenom will play wide receiver, cornerback, or both at the next level. He can be special on either side of the ball. The likely outcome is for Travis Hunter to primarily play on one side and help in certain packages on the other.

From a talent and versatility standpoint, Hunter ranks first overall on many big boards. Will he be as good of a wide receiver as McMillan or as solid at cornerback as Johnson? Maybe not, but he has the potential to best either player, perhaps both. It is why Hunter is likely to be the first non-quarterback taken in 2025. If he did fall to New England, whether at No. 4 or wherever they wind up drafting, Hunter would certainly make the short list of potential prospects for the Patriots.

What Will the New England Patriots Do?

There are still six weeks remaining in the NFL regular season, and the draft order can change considerably between now and the season’s end. But for the same of this exercise, assume New England drafts at or around fourth overall.

The biggest determining factor for what they should and will do in the draft will be known ahead of April’s selections. Free agency opens up in March, and the Patriots will have money to spend. If that money is used to sign Bengals’ wide receiver Tee Higgins and Broncos’ left tackle Garrett Bolles, for example, options get narrowed down considerably. Then players like Will Johnson and Abdul Carter become significantly more attractive from the Patriots’ perspective.

One fact from the 2024 New England Patriots season is that they lack enough high-quality players. There are too many holes on the roster for one player to come in, even high in the draft, and magically turn everything around. Eliot Wolf needs to improve the team through free agency before the draft takes place. And whoever New England selects in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Patriots front office can’t afford not to get it right. Fortunately, it appears several quality options will be available.