Patriots 2025 NFL Mock Draft 2.0: Drake Maye gets spectacular WR1 to electrify offense
The New England Patriots sit at 3-8 so far in the 2024 NFL season and are at a point where they are in the mode of building around their young quarterback, Drake Maye.
Selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Maye is showing signs of being the next guy in New England. He has made rookie mistakes, but his maturity, leadership, and athleticism at the QB position is big bright spot for the future of the Patriots. Can they find the right players to put around the young quarterback on offense.
Some areas to build on through the draft will be solidifying that offensive line in front of him and finding more reliable targets for him to get all to. Another factor in the draft for Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo will be finding players on defense who will compliment Christian Barmore, Kyle Dugger and Christian Gonzalez. This mid-season NFL mock draft addressed both sides of the bal
Current state of the New England Patriots
2024 NFL season record: 3-8, 4th in the AFC East
Team offense: Rank 31st (281.2 yards per game)
Team defense: Rank 20th (345.2 yards per game)
2025 NFL Draft position: No. 6
Top positional needs: LT, WR, EDGE, CB
2025 NFL Draft outlook
The Patriots have a ton of cap space this offseason which means they can address a couple of their top needs by shelling out some dough. The question is would top free agents want to come to New England? Money does talk in the NFL and so does the promise of Drake Maye. As free agency can change the direction of a team in the draft, the Patriots will still have intriguing options in the 2025 NFL Draft with another top 10, perhaps even top 5 pick.
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Should they take care of their left tackle issues or get Maye a solid weapon on offense? From Travis Hunter to Tetaiora McMillan, the Patriots will be challenged with the option of top tackle talent in the name of Will Campbell or Kelvin Banks Jr. or taking one of those two studs. They can also go with a top edge rusher like Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr. or Penn State’s Abdul Carter. With the depth at some of those positions, the Patriots can also fill needs on Day 2 or later in the draft.
Other areas of need include edge rusher, linebacker, and more playmakers on the offensive side of the football. Here is a mid-season look at what executive vice president of player personnel and the Patriots will do in this three-round NFL Mock Draft.
. player. 47. Tetairoa McMillan. 6. WR | Arizona. . Tetairoa McMillan. Tetairoa McMillan.
The Patriots haven’t had much luck selecting wide receivers in the early rounds of the NFL Draft as of late. But they haven’t had an opportunity to draft a sure bet playmaker like Tetairoa McMillan will light it up in Foxboro catching the ball from Maye in that Patriots offense. Pats fan, just imagine this:
Throw it up to 4⃣ never a bad call
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) November 16, 2024
📺 FS1 pic.twitter.com/I1JLwdi5ZC
As legit outside threat, McMillan as the ball skills, speed, and body control to be that top wide receiver threat the Patriots have been desperate for. Old time Patriots fans may remember the team selecting Terry Glenn high in the draft a couple years after selecting Drew Bledsoe. Like that combination, Maye to McMillan will have an opportunity to flourish in the NFL.
The biggest need may be solidifying that offensive line, but the team has a ton of cap space to fill that need and in a deep draft at tackle, will have the opportunity to find a solid player on Day 2 of the draft in which they will have three picks.
Cameron Williams. 39. . OT | Texas. . Cameron Williams. Cameron Williams. . player. 47
If the Patriots pass on selecting Kelvin Banks Jr. high in the draft, they may opt to take his Texas teammate Cameron Williams with the No. 39 overall pick in the draft. A right tackle in college, the 6-foot-5, 335-pound junior has been a key contributor in stabilizing the Longhorns offensive line.
A dominate down blocker, his power, ability to move in space and mean streak to his game would be an upgrade on either side of the line for Williams. He does have versatility to play guard, but the question will be whether the Patriots can convert him to left tackle. If 2024 NFL draft pick Caeden Wallace can emerge at left tackle or they spend some money on one, Williams will be a solid pickup in the second round.
Danny Stutsman. Danny Stutsman. . Danny Stutsman. 70. . LB | Oklahoma. player. 47.
The Patriots do need an edge rusher, but linebacker is an area the team could use an upgrade and why not start with Oklahoma’s Danny Stutsman. A 6-foot-4, 241-pound linebacker who leads the Sooners with 96 tackles so far this season, Stutsman has the size of a modern linebacker and the athleticism to make tackles in space.
His strength as a run defender and as a blitzing linebacker will make him a nice fit for the Patriots as a team that has struggled against the run and as a team that needs to apply more pressure on the quarterback. As a third-round pick, this will be a solid selection for Mayo and the Patriots’ defense.
47. . 84. Harold Fannin Jr.. player. TE | Bowling Green. . Harold Fannin Jr.. Harold Fannin Jr..
The Patriots haven’t had great luck in drafting a tight end since taking Rob Gronkowski in the 2010 NFL Draft. Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr. could be that guy. An athletic, pass-catching tight end, Fannin Jr. already has 83 receptions for 1,170 yards and 8 touchdowns for the Falcons and is another target Maye will love.
With Austin Hooper hitting free agency and Hunter Henry getting older, Fannin Jr. is a player who can come in and contribute right away. With the body of a big wide receiver, the Bowling Green star will be an instant favorite in Foxborough.