The New England Patriots are expected to lead the league in salary cap space heading into free agency, but there are no certainties they’ll solve all of their problems through the sign and trade period.
Sure, they need to hit a home run in free agency, but they also need to knock it out of the park at the 2025 NFL draft as well.
They currently own the No. 4 overall pick in the first round, which puts them in a unique position to potentially trade down for more picks. If Penn State’s Abdul Carter or Colorado’s Travis Hunter is still on the board at No. 4, then it’s best to not complicate things and make the pick.
But if it’s a choice between Michigan’s Mason Graham and a couple of more quality draft picks, things could get interesting for the Patriots. I entered this mock draft with the assumption that the Patriots missed out on Tee Higgins and Chris Godwin in free agency. They can’t afford to go into Year 2 of Drake Maye with a lackluster receiving corps.
Here’s our latest 2025 NFL mock draft: