Patriots currently hold No. 3 pick in 2025 NFL Draft thanks to assist from Mac Jones
FOXBORO -- The New England Patriots didn't play on Sunday, but they still moved up in the 2025 NFL Draft order thanks to a little help from old friend Mac Jones.
It was Jones' poor play for New England last season that helped the Patriots land the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, which the franchise used to draft quarterback Drake Maye. On Sunday, Jones gave his former team an assist by helping the Jaguars win a game.
While Jones had a typical Mac Jones Sunday with a pair of interceptions and no touchdowns against the Titans, his miscues weren't back-breakers for Jacksonville. The Jags came out on top, 10-6, thanks to a fourth-quarter rushing score from Tank Bigsby.
With that win, the Jaguars improved to 3-10 for the season, which matches the record of the Patriots and four other teams. But of all of those 3-10 teams, the Patriots are the worst.
Patriots now hold No. 3 pick in 2025 NFL Draft
The Patriots entered their bye week sitting in the No. 4 spot in the draft order, but jumped up to the third overall pick thanks to that Jacksonville victory. The Carolina Panthers, Jaguars, Titans, New York Jets, and Cleveland Browns are all 3-10 and round out the Top 8 of the draft order, but the Patriots have the worst strength of schedule (.459) of the bunch.
The Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants -- both 2-11 -- are sitting in the No. 1 and No. 2 spot, respectively. The Raiders lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 28-13, on Sunday, while the Giants lost to the New Orleans Saints, 14-11.
New York had a chance to win on Sunday, but Graham Gano's 35-yard field goal attempt was blocked with 11 seconds left in the game and the Saints held on for the win. Had the Giants won, the Patriots would have jumped to the No. 2 pick.
How can the Patriots climb up the draft order?
New England's draft pick is still very much up in the air with just four weeks left in the regular season. The Patriots are still in the mix for the top pick, or they could fall deep into the Top 10 depending on how the rest of the season plays out.
The Patriots could jump up again if they lose out, which is a very real possibility with road games against the Arizona Cardinals and the Buffalo Bills and home games against the Los Angeles Chargers and the Bills. The Cardinals are 6-7 after losing their third straight game on Sunday, but are within striking distance of the NFC West and an NFC Wild Card spot. The 10-3 Bills are still in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the AFC despite losing to the Rams on Sunday, and the Chargers are 8-5 after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs, 19-17, Sunday night.
All of New England's remaining opponents need to rack up wins the rest of the way, and will be motivated when they take on the Patriots.
But to climb up the draft board again, the Patriots need the Raiders and the Giants to win at some point over the next month, and that is no guarantee. The Raiders have the Atlanta Falcons, Jaguars, Saints (in New Orleans) and Chargers to close out the season, while the Giants finish with the Baltimore Ravens, Falcons (in Atlanta), Indianapolis Colts, and the Eagles (in Philadelphia).
Tune in to Sunday's Patriots-Cardinals game on WBZ-TV -- the television home of the New England Patriots. Pregame coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. with Patriots GameDay, kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m., and after the game switch over to TV38 for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!
