The New England Patriots have nine draft picks in their wallet for the 2025 NFL Draft, starting with the No. 4 overall. Head coach Mike Vrabel is eager to bring a winning culture back to New England and it could all start with the first draft pick as head coach of the Pats.
Vrabel and the Patriots started the offseason with over $120 million in cap space, good for the most in the NFL. They’ve since made a handful of veteran additions, mostly on defense, as Vrabel is creating the team and environment that works best for him to thrive.
That said, they’ve signed 16 players this offseason, seven on offense, with the most important addition being veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs. This will give the Pats a legitimate No.1 option for opposing defenses to worry about, along with giving second-year quarterback Drake Maye the first true weapon of his career.
It’s worth noting that the Patriots have only had two wide receivers see at least 100 targets over the last five years: Julian Edelman (153, 2019) and Jakobi Meyers (126, 2021).
On defense, however, the Patriots loaded up by signing some of the top free agents on the market in veteran linebackers Harold Landry III and Robert Spillane, cornerback Carlton Davis III, and defensive tackles Milton Williams and Khyiris Tonga.
Vrabel is establishing a veteran defense as the identity of his team. It's similar to how the team was constructed during the first dynasty starting in 2001 with a young quarterback who had a veteran-led defense that took charge of the team and paved the way to three Super Bowls in four years.
That young quarterback turned into the greatest of all time in Tom Brady, but it was the defense that carried the team and allowed Brady to develop as a quarterback. Vrabel was an essential part of the team during the first part of the double-dynasty and has a keen understanding of how a successful team should be built.
With the framework of the offseason, Vrabel wants to protect Maye by strengthening the offensive line and adding more weapons to his arsenal. It seems like that’s going to be done through the draft considering they already signed Diggs and haven’t retooled the offensive line too much.
This is the second consecutive year that the Pats will be drafting in the top four of the NFL Draft. It’s important that they get this pick right, so to get a closer look at some of their top prospects, they’ve had Top 30 visits with the following players:
New England Patriots Top 30 Visits
— Justin Trombino (@Trombino20) April 11, 2025
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Let’s take a look at how Vrabel is approaching his first draft in New England.
The Patriots will enter the draft with:
- No. 4 overall
- No. 38 (2nd Round)
- No. 69 (3rd Round)
- No. 77 (3rd Round)
- No. 106 (4th Round)
- No. 144 (5th Round)
- No. 217 (7th Round)
- No. 220 (7th Round)
- No. 238 (7th Round)
Patriots Should Select LSU Offensive Tackle Will Campbell Fourth Overall
It makes the most sense for New England to draft offensive tackle Will Campbell fourth overall. Selecting the top tackle in the draft immediately impacts two needs: protecting Maye and strengthening the offensive line to enhance the run game, which was the worst in the NFL last season.
The reason it’s important to secure Campbell fourth overall rather than a skilled position player is simply because of supply and demand. There are plenty of opportunities to draft a high-caliber receiver in the second round that can make an impact for the Pats this season; the same can’t be said for offensive tackles.
With Vrabel being a defensive guy himself, it’s fair to assume that he’d be interested in having the top linebacker in the draft, Abdul Carter, who’s being compared to generational players like Von Miller and Micah Parsons. But with the way the Pats have navigated the offseason, it seems unlikely for them to draft a linebacker in the first round.
The other wildcard here is the dual-threat defensive back and wide receiver, Travis Hunter, who was the recipient of the Heisman Trophy and the Fred Biletnikoff Award in 2024. Hunter could arguably be the best player in this draft on both sides of the ball as a receiver and cornerback and that’s going to be hard to pass on for any team.
Hunter declared for the Draft as a cornerback, but he wants to continue playing on both sides of the ball in the NFL. If he’s only going to be utilized as a cornerback, then the Pats aren’t going to need him with Christian Gonzalez and Davis III solidifying the corners.
If the Pats draft Hunter, it would be for him to be a legitimate wide receiver option, pairing him with Diggs, and ultimately giving Maye two elite options out wide.
With the way they’ve reconstructed the team during the offseason, putting the focus more so on the defensive end, it leads me to believe that Vrabel is leaning toward more offense in the draft. If true, he should land Campbell, who he saw up close and personal on a visit, saying that he’s an offensive tackle, despite some of the speculation of his arm length.
"I think you have to. I don’t understand how you can watch him play in the SEC, which is the best conference in college football, against guys that are going to get drafted at that position. I don’t think you have to project it. You can just actually watch and say ‘there’s his snaps at left tackle’, evaluate it, and see what you think."Mike Vrabel
If Vrabel and the Patriots play their cards right as it is, they have a chance of landing four players that can really impact their team this season within the Top 100 picks in the first three rounds. But I believe the focus should be on offense and the draft should start with Campbell being drafted fourth overall to New England.