New England Patriots 2025 NFL Draft guide: Picks, needs, times and rumors
The seemingly endless wait for the 2025 NFL Draft is nearly over. For fans of the New England Patriots, all their waiting should pay off early Thursday evening.
Update: The Patriots drafted LSU tackle Will Campbell fourth overall. Follow all of New England's picks here.
That's when the Patriots are scheduled to make the fourth overall selection in the 90th NFL Draft. Of course, New England could be picking a lot higher, but Jerod Mayo and Joe Milton just had to go out and beat the Buffalo Bills to close out the 2024 season. That Week 18 victory win cost the Patriots the number one overall pick on Thursday night.
So now Mike Vrabel, Eliot Wolf, and the New England brass will make the fourth overall pick, barring some movement up or down the draft board. It will be Vrabel's first draft as head coach of the Patriots, while Wolf will be looking to have a much better showing after he was in charge of the draft board last year. While the Patriots got quarterback Drake Maye third overall in 2024, most of Wolf's other picks were massive disappointments that struggled to see the field.
This year, we'll get our first look at how Vrabel and Wolf work together to build up the Patriots through the NFL Draft. The team had an excellent go in free agency, but needs to add an influx of young talent through the draft. Years of misfires in the draft have caught up to the Patriots, so it's important for them to hit on the majority of this year's picks to put the franchise in a much better position for the future.
Here's a quick guide of everything you need to know about the Patriots in the 2025 NFL Draft.
What time is the NFL Draft?
The NFL Draft gets underway Thursday night in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Only the first round will take place on Thursday, which is set to kick off at 8 p.m.
Each team will have 10 minutes to make a pick in the first round. The Patriots should make their first selection sometime between 8:30 p.m. and 8:45 p.m., depending on how long the pre-draft nonsense takes.
Rounds 2 and 3 are Friday night, and the picks will start coming off the board at 7 p.m. Rounds 4-7 will be held on Saturday afternoon starting at noon. Teams will have seven minutes to make a pick in the second round, five minutes in rounds 3-through-6, and four minutes per selection in the seventh and final round.
Patriots draft picks in 2025 NFL Draft
New England is scheduled to make nine selections in the 2025 NFL Draft:
Round 1: 4th overall
Round 2: 38th overall
Round 3: 69th overall
Round 3: 77th overall (From Atlanta via Matthew Judon trade in 2024)
Round 4: 106th overall
Round 5: 144th overall
Round 5: 171st overall (From Dallas via Joe Milton trade)
Round 7: 220th overall
Round 7: 238th overall (From L.A. Chargers via J.C. Jackson trade in 2023)
The Patriots haven't had four picks in the Top 100 since 2020, when the team drafted safety Kyle Dugger (No. 37), linebacker Joshua Uche (No. 60), linebacker Anfernee Jennings (No. 87) and tight end Devin Asiasi (No. 91).
Patriots needs in 2025 NFL Draft
Left tackle is New England's biggest need heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, as the team could use a giant human to protect Maye's blind side for the foreseeable future. The team is set at right tackle after signing veteran Morgan Moses, but should consider drafting two tackles over the next three days.
The Patriots have drafted 43 offensive linemen since 2000, which is the team's most drafted position during that time. The team has taken 13 offensive linemen in the first round in team history, which is the most among all positions.
Wide receiver is another big need on the roster, even though the depth chart is pretty packed at the moment. While Stefon Diggs was a solid addition in free agency, the Patriots need more explosiveness at the position after ranking 32nd in receiver production in 2024.
The Patriots also ranked 32nd in sacks last season, so they could use some more at edge rusher to play opposite of Keion White and newcomer Harold Landry.
New England could also use a pass-catching running back out of the backfield, and will have plenty of chances to do so with a deep running back pool in 2025. The Patriots should also look to address depth pieces at tight end, linebacker, and center with their collection of 2025 draft picks.
Patriots options and Will Campbell
Left tackle
LSU's Will Campbell is the hot pick for the Patriots at No. 4, and he would be a plug-and-play left tackle on Day 1. But the big question with Campbell is whether or not his smaller arms will eventually land him at guard at the NFL level.
Missouri's Armand Membou, Ohio State's Josh Simmons, and Texas' Kelvin Banks Jr. are other potential first-round options for New England, thought they'd likely come later in the first round after a trade-down. Oregon's Josh Conerly Jr. could potentially protect Maye's blind side, but the Patriots would probably have to trade back into the end of the first round to acquire his services.
Some later-round tackle options include Boston College's Ozzy Trapilo and Minnesota's Aireontae Ersery.
Wide receiver
It would take a miracle for Travis Hunter to be available to the Patriots at No. 4, so the team will look elsewhere for a receiver. If they really want to take a receiver at No. 4, Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan could be their pick after he caught 84 passes for a Big 12-leading 1,319 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 2024.
Texas' Matthew Golden is an option if the Patriots trade down or back into the first. He is seen as a future No. 1 receiver in the NFL after he racked up 58 receptions for 987 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024.
Options at No. 38 in the second round include Iowa State's Jayden Higgins (87 catches, 1,183 yards, 9 touchdowns) and Missouri's Luther Burden III (86 catches, 1,212 yards, 9 touchdowns), while Washington State's Kyle Williams (70 receptions, 1,198 yards, 14 touchdowns) and Utah State's Jalen Royals (55 catches, 834 yards, 6 touchdowns) are potential options in the third round.
Patriots Draft Day Trades
While there's a new group running the board, chances are the Patriots are going to swing a trade or two during the NFL Draft. New England has made 90 draft-day trades since 2000, which is the most in the NFL over that span.
Of those trades, the Patriots have traded down 33 times. That included a second-round trade-down last year, when the Patriots sent the No. 34 pick (used to draft WR Ladd McConkey) and a fifth-round pick (137th overall, used on DB Tarheeb Still) to the L.A. Chargers for the 37th overall pick and No. 110 in the fourth round. The Patriots drafted receivers Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, respectively, with those two picks, so it was not a "winning" trade for New England.
Trading down and out of No. 4 might be difficult -- and not worthwhile -- for the Patriots, with Jordan Shultz of Fox Sports reporting Wednesday there isn't a "strong push" for teams to trade up. Those teams that are interested in moving up are only offering "70 cents on the dollar," according to Schultz.
Since 2000, the Patriots have traded up 30 times in draft-day moves. The team's most recent trade-up came in 2023, when the Pats sent two picks -- a fourth-round pick (No. 120 overall, used to take tackle Carter Warren) and a 2023 sixth-round draft pick (No. 184 overall, used on linebacker Zaire Barnes)-- to the New York Jets to for the 112th overall selection, which the team used to draft kicker Chad Ryland.
Patriots history with 4th pick in NFL Draft
This year marks the fourth time the Patriots have held the fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft. The last time they picked in the spot was in 1994 when New England drafted Willie McGinest out of USC. McGinest won three Super Bowls with the Patriots and is in the team's Hall of Fame.
The Patriots really crushed the No. 4 pick in 1973 when they took future Hall of Famer John Hannah, who is considered one of the greatest offensive lineman in NFL history. The team also picked fourth overall in 1970, when New England drafted defensive tackle Phil Olsen out of Utah State.
