Patriots don’t fare well in early 2025 mock drafts
Are you happy with how the Patriots 2024 NFL Draft went? Like Drake Maye? Think they weaponized the offense enough? Believe the players they chose will complement the players they already have, enough maybe to make watching the Pats fun again?
Good. Enjoy those positive vibes while they last because the national pundits and data sites have weighed in, and while most believe the Pats had a solid draft, they believe the team will stink this year, so much so that they’ll be picking at the top of next year’s draft all over again.
Yes, it’s already way-too-early mock draft season for some, and three of the best football sites out there - PFF, The Athletic and the 33rd Team - have posted their first 2025 mocks, and suffice to say they see the Patriots struggling in the 2024 season. Let’s takes look.
Noted draft analyst Dane Brugler of The Athletic posted the most comprehensive 2025 mock draft, and he has the Patriots drafting…third overall once again (take a breath; this is the most optimistic of the three!) Brugler has the Pats going back to the defensive side of the ball, selecting Michigan’s Mason Graham, a powerful and disruptive high-motor defensive tackle. Graham would hypothetically join Christian Barmore, who just inked a four-year $92 million extension with the Pats.
Next up is Pro Football Focus, which has the Pats selecting second overall in 2025, addressing an area many wanted the Patriots to be more aggressive about in this draft, going with LSU’s Will Campbell, a 6-foot-5 320-pound tackle who presumably would be the answer at left tackle. This hypothetical selection doesn’t bode well for the recently signed Chukwuma Okorafor or recently drafted Caedan Wallace, who was selected 68th overall out of Penn State.
And finally, we have the folks over at The 33rd Team, who, you guessed it, have the Patriots holding the dubious distinction of being at the top—the wrong top.
Yes, The 33rd Team believes the Patriots will finish the 2024 season with the worst record in the NFL, thereby securing the first overall pick at the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay. The 33rd team, like The Athletic, has the team taking a defensive player, with Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr. as the first overall pick. Pearce, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound outrageously athletic Edge rusher, had 9.5 sacks in 2023, and for what it’s worth, PFF had him going first overall as well, only to the Carolina Panthers instead.
Will these predictions give Pats fans insight into who their top prospect could be a year from now, or will they be kept in the “Receipts” drawer for coach Jerod Mayo and company headed into 2024? Time will tell, but the one thing we know is that in the world of the modern NFL, it’s always mock draft season somewhere.
