On Friday night, the Patriots selected Georgia center Jared Wilson with the 95th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
New England addresses a need at center towards the end of the third round, as the team looks to find their next long-term center after the release of franchise legend David Andrews earlier this offseason - a fellow Georgia center in his own right.
At 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds, Wilson was a part of two different national championship teams with the Bulldogs in 2022 and 2023, appearing in 21 games during his first three seasons in Athens. Wilson took over the starting job for his senior season.
Wilson will compete for the starting center job with free agent pickup Garrett Bradbury, 2022 first-round pick Cole Strange and last year’s primary starting center Ben Brown.
Wilson is New England’s second pick of the third round, as the team selected Washington State wide receiver Kyle Williams at No. 69 overall. He is also the fourth straight offensive pick to open the draft, as the Patriots also took offensive tackle Will Campbell in the first round (No. 4 overall) and running back TreVeyon Henderson in the second round (No. 38 overall).
They received the 95th pick in a trade with the Chiefs. Kansas City received No. 85 from New England, and the Patriots received No. 95 and a 2026 fourth-round pick. That fourth-rounder from the Chiefs was a pick they acquired from trading former Patriots offensive lineman Joe Thuney to Chicago earlier this offseason.
The Patriots originally received the 85th pick in a trade with the Panthers. Carolina received No. 77 from New England, and the Patriots received No. 85 and No. 146. At the time of publishing, the 146th pick will be New England’s third pick Saturday (106, 144, 146).
In case either player becomes a stud one day:
- At No. 85, Kansas City selected Cal cornerback Nohl Williams.
- At No. 77, Carolina selected Ole Miss edge rusher Princely Umanmielen.
And for those keeping score at home, the 77th pick for New England was originally acquired via their trade with Atlanta last summer, which sent Pro Bowl defensive end Matthew Judon to the Falcons ahead of the 2024 regular season.
So, in essence, if Wilson ends up being a great player, Patriots fans can thank Judon, the Panthers and the Chiefs.
Here are the remaining picks for New England in this year’s draft:
- No. 106 in the fourth round
- No. 144 in the fifth round
- No. 146 in the fifth round
- No. 171 in the fifth round
- No. 220 in the seventh round
- No. 238 in the seventh round
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