Wild 2025 mock draft has Patriots trading No. 1 overall pick

Wild 2025 mock draft has Patriots trading No. 1 overall pick originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The focus is on the future in New England, to put it kindly.

The Patriots are expected to be one of the NFL’s worst teams in 2024, with their win total set at just 4.5 at most sportsbooks. The silver lining of futility, of course, is a high draft pick, which New England parlayed into potential future franchise quarterback Drake Maye with the third overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.

That raises a fun thought experiment: What would the Patriots do if they had the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft?

ESPN’s Field Yates gave us one possible scenario in a new 2025 NFL mock draft in which New England picks first overall — and makes a bold move. Yates has the Patriots trading the No. 1 pick to the New York Giants for the No. 6 selection and “multiple” additional picks, then selecting Michigan cornerback Will Johnson at No. 6.

Here are the first six picks in Yates’ mock, followed by Yates’ explanation for the New England pick:

1. Giants (via Patriots): Carson Beck, QB, Georgia

2. Carolina Panthers: James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee

3. Denver Broncos: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas

4. Tennessee Titans: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

5. Washington Commanders: Mykel Williams, Edge, Georgia

6. Patriots: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan

“I’d say New England is more likely to address offensive tackle than cornerback next spring, but I’m just not convinced enough on the class’s second-best left tackle in my early tape study to go that direction and pass up Johnson,” Yates wrote.

This would be a head-scratching move by Wolf and Co.

The Patriots have a major weakness at offensive tackle, where they’ve rotated through multiple players on the left and right side throughout training camp and the preseason. The play of the offensive line has been so inconsistent that head coach Jerod Mayo admitted he limited Maye to just one series in New England’s preseason opener due to protection issues.

While Will Johnson and 2023 first-rounder Christian Gonzalez could form a lethal young cornerback duo, the Patriots already have an above-average defense. Their focus should be on building around Maye while he’s still on his rookie contract, and that means prioritizing their two biggest needs — offensive tackle and wide receiver — in the 2025 draft.

We’re not against trading down in 2025, either. New England would be in the envious position of having a top pick but not needing a quarterback and could get valuable draft capital from a QB-needy team. Trading back for a cornerback makes little sense, though, and a smarter play would be to target a first-round pick where the team could take one of the top offensive tackle prospects in the class.

That debate is still a long way off, however, and for now, the Patriots are prepping for their preseason finale against 2024 No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders on Sunday night.