NFL draft power rankings show clearly where Patriots are heading into draft season

The New England Patriots earned the spot they’re in, to put it mildly. A 4-13 season saw their head coach fired — his only season at the helm — and landing a top-5 draft pick for the second consecutive year. It also allowed them to amass the kind of capital that can boost the fortunes of a team very quickly.

Even with $110 million in salary cap space, the future of the Patriots will largely hinge on this draft, and what they’re going to do with it. As of the time of publication, the Patriots are scheduled to make the following picks in 2025: 4, 38, 69, 77, 105, 145, 219, 222, 240.

According to Tankathon, using the values determined by the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective, the Patriots have the fifth-highest value of picks to make across the NFL.

And not for nothing, but the Patriots are also projected to receive two additional 7th-round picks in compensation from free agents lost last offseason.

Some might say that and a buck fifty will get them a cup at Dunkin’, but it’s not nothing. Valuable draft capital, along with players available, can make for positive trade scenarios that would boost this value even higher. The presence of Drake Maye gives New England the ability to operate having already solved the most important question — stability at the quarterback position for the future. Several teams lack that benefit, and could be looking to move up in order to fix that issue.

Many would say this isn’t a great quarterback draft, and it doesn’t seem likely a team would want to trade up for either of the perceived top QBs in this draft — Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.

But even staying put at No. 4 overall, the Patriots have plenty in later rounds from which they can identify a new, young core, and continue building on Maye’s amazing potential.