The New England Patriots entered Week 18 possessing the top selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. But the Patriots ended the season on a high note, defeating the Buffalo Bills on January 5.
With the Week 18 victory and a 4-13 final record, the Patriots slid to the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
Although Patriots fans are likely disappointed the team won’t be selecting at the top of the 2025 draft board, New England still has first-round options.
The Patriots chose quarterback Drake Maye at No. 3 overall in last year’s draft. Maye didn’t win a lot of games during his rookie season, but he is expected to enter 2025 as the team’s starter.
Therefore, New England is in a unique position already possessing a quarterback while picking in the top 5. That could give the Patriots multiple draft avenues worth exploring with their 2025 first-round selection.
But in addition to the uncertainty surrounding the pick, who will make the selection is also unclear.
Patriots Have the No. 4 Pick in the 2025 NFL Draft
Entering Week 18, the Patriots were guaranteed to have one of the top four picks in the 2025 NFL draft. With a loss against the Bills, the Patriots would have clinch the No. 1 overall selection.
But with a victory, the Patriots would no longer earn the No. 1 pick. They could land anywhere between No. 2-4 based on how the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants did on January 5.
In Week 18, the Patriots defeated the Bills, 23-16. Additionally, the Titans and Giants both lost. As a result, the Patriots dropped from No. 1 overall to the No. 4 in the first round.
Who Could the Patriots Target in First Round of 2025 NFL Draft?
Maye entered Week 18 with a 66.8% completion percentage, a 6.8 yards per attempt average, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Maye also had one of the highest sack percentages among quarterbacks this season.
While those statistics don’t jump off the stat sheet, the 22-year-old showed a lot of promise on film. So, Patriots insiders and draft pundits expect Maye to enter the 2025 campaign as New England’s starter.
That means the team will very likely use its first-round pick to address another need.
Fox Sports’ Henry McKenna argued the Patriots should trade the selection.
“The Patriots already have their quarterback. Drake Maye’s statistics won’t show it, but he’s been tremendous this season — even when weighed down by a brutally untalented offensive group,” McKenna wrote. “So, New England should sell this pick to the highest bidder.”
USA Today’s Patriots Wire Cam Garrity also had New England trading its top pick. Both McKenna and Garritty identified the Las Vegas Raiders as the most likely team to acquire the Patriots’ first-round selection.
“The trade allows the Las Vegas Raiders to select their quarterback of the future, Shedeur Sanders, while the Patriots stockpile premium assets for future drafts,” wrote Garrity.
However, those trade scenarios would have been a lot more likely if the Patriots clinched the No. 1 overall pick. NFL teams are less likely to make a big splash for No. 4 overall.
Even if they held the top selection, though, there was no guarantee the Patriots would have shopped their draft pick. In his January 4 mock draft, Pro Football Network’s Sterling Xie projected the Patriots to select Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.
“Is Travis Hunter a wide receiver or a cornerback? The great news for the New England Patriots is that it doesn’t really matter either way,” wrote Xie.
“New England badly needs a true top weapon for Drake Maye entering his second season. That could come in the form of both a free agency splurge and the usage of a premium pick.”
The Patriots selected Hunter at No. 1 overall in Xie’s mock draft. But with quarterback-needy teams securing the top three selections, it’s possible Hunter will be available at No. 4 for New England.
Who Will Make New England’s 2025 First-Round Pick?
Jerod Mayo just finished his first season as Patriots head coach. But unlike Maye, he’s not guaranteed to get another season with the organization.
During a January 5 morning segment, ESPN’s Adam Schefter placed Mayo in the “leaning out” category. Schefter explained why the Patriots might not stay with the first-year head coach.
“All along, the Kraft family has wanted to stand by him and give him support. He was the hand-chosen successor to Bill Belichick,” Schefter said. “But over the last 30 days or so, the team has struggled. They’ve lost at home. Fans have been angered, they have been apathetic.
“And it feels like within the organization, there’s been a shift. There’s nervous people inside the building right now.”
The Patriots could potentially make a change with first-year general manager Eliot Wolf as well. But NFL insider Albert Breer argued the Patriots should add more personnel around Wolf rather than replace the general manager.
“The Patriots are still very light when it comes to staffing on the personnel side,” Breer said on Patriots Pregame Live on December 28. “They addressed that on the coaching side last year going from Belichick to Mayo, but they really haven’t added a whole lot to the scouting department.”
Even if Wolf remains in his position, the potential changes the Patriots make in their scouting department and at head coach will obviously impact their draft strategy.
The more changes made, the more likely early Patriots mock drafts change later in the draft process.
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Patriots Miss Out on Top Pick, But Still Possess NFL Draft Options