The annual NFL Combine is underway with on-field drills, but the top New England Patriots contingent, led by Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf, has already set up shop and conducted some interviews, most notably with Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter. We also heard Mike Vrabel go on record saying that he is "Confident [the Patriots] will be aggressive" when it comes to free agency, which should be heavy on trench players. Of course, Trey Smith coming off the board via the tag is a bit of a bummer, but assuming the Patriots can fill holes at left tackle, at least one additional one gap IDL, left guard (pending the status of Cole Strange/David Andrews), and potentially linebacker, they should have some freedome at pick four in this years drafts. Without any trades, here's how I could see things going as of combine week.
2025 New England Patriots (Mock) Draft
Round 1, Pick 4) Travis Hunter, WR/CB (Colorado)
The perceived top three picks in this draft have remained in place, just in a different order now. Abdul Carter is believed to be first off the board, followed by the two quarterbacks, Cam Ward and Sheduer Sanders. If the Penn State edge rusher is 100 percent out of the picture, the Patriots must take Travis Hunter if they aren't beaten to the punch. He's my top prospect in this entire draft as a cornerback, and even factoring in Arizona's Tet McMillan, Hunter is the only wideout in the draft I'll end up having a top-10 grade one. For all the talk about getting a No. 1 receiver, this would be the organization's chance to get one, and an unreal one at that.
Having gone in-depth with both Hunter and McMillan some time ago, I believe that Hunter is better than Tet at all of his strengths (contested catch ability, ball tracking/body control, and YA ability), and the Colorado prospect has better separation skills, and packing on some extra bulk should be able to help some of his weaker areas. Make no mistake: Travis Hunter is a better cornerback than wide receiver, but he'd arguably be the best pass-catching talent this team has ever drafted.
And by the way, this team should be willing to give Hunter the opportunity to play both sides of the ball. Certainly not on a full-time basis, but the thought of putting Hunter and Christian Gonzalez on the boundary on third downs and in two-minute defensive situations is genuinely horrifying.
Round 2, Pick 38) Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE (Boston College)
Ezeiruaku falling to 38 isn't a guarantee, but it isn't something I would rule out, either. His 16.5 sacks and 20 TFLs led him to ACC DPOY honors in 2024, but he is a little undersized, if anything, for an edge rusher. That said, he has excellent length and bend and would be a natural fit in a 4-3 front that the Patriots are likely running this year. Even if the Patriots make a splash out on the edge in free agency, Ezeiruaku should still be someone they should consider drafting in this spot.
Round 3, Pick 69) Maxwell Hairston, CB (Kentucky)
Jonathan Jones leaving in free agency seems like a likely outcome at this time, and corner depth was a bit of an issue for the Patriots a year ago. What the Patriots would be getting in a guy like Hairston is elite movement skills and ball production out of a guy who's 6'1" and north of 185. A shoulder injury hampered him a bit in 2024, but he still made All-SEC Second Team two years in a row to end his collegiate career. I wouldn't be shocked if Hairston gets picked 20-plus picks earlier than this. By the time this is out, he probably already crushed his athletic testing in Indianapolis.
Round 3, Pick 77) Mason Taylor, TE (LSU)
The son of NFL Hall of Famer Jason Taylor would be an interesting addition to a Patriots tight end room that could be in need of another body, depending on what the future holds for Austin Hooper. Mason's all-around reliability and usage have been huge selling points for him as he became one of the most decorated tight ends in LSU program history when it comes to the stats sheet. Getting him the opportunity to work with Hunter Henry would be great for him in his first few seasons.
Round 4, Pick 105) Jeffrey Bassa, LB (Oregon)
Another position defensively where depth was a major red flag was linebacker, and this team should go out of their way to add multiple bodies this offseason by any means (preferably someone the caliber of Dre Greenlaw/Nick Bolton on the open market). Given his athletic upside and aggressiveness, Oregon's Jeffrey Bassa would be a worthwhile draft option for the Patriots. One thing I wanted to see at the combine was his weight, given he was recruited to Oregon as a safety, but he weighed north of 230 lbs at Indianapolis, which is good in my book. The Chargers took a guy in this same physical mold not too long ago in Daiyan Henley, and he's been a big part of what they do defensively. In the best-case scenario, Bassa could develop into a player of the same caliber in time.
Round 5, Pick 145) Seth McLaughlin, IOL (Ohio State)
I'd put the odds of Mike Vrabel wanting to get at least one Ohio State guy in this class somewhere in the -1000000000000000 range. At this point in the draft, a guy like Seth McLaughlin would be a worthy gamble. A center for Ohio State and Alabama over the last five years, the big reason he'd still be here is a late November Achilles tendon rupture suffered in practice. Should that be the case, giving him a redshirt year to rehab and learn the building and staff wouldn't be a bad call. The Patriots won't have David Andrews forever, and even this year is still a question mark.
Round 7, Pick 219) Kalel Mullings, RB (Michigan)
This would be a nice story if the Patriots drafted Kalel Mullings, a native of West Roxbury who just had a very productive final year at Michigan after Blake Corum went to the NFL. At 6'1 "and 232 lbs, he has a great frame for an in-between-the-tackles guy and simply does not go down easy. Not hard to envision him in a McDaniels offense.
Round 7, Pick 222) Nick Nash, WR (San Jose State)
I could think of worse seventh-round dart board throws than Nick Nash, who led Division-1 in receiving yards in 2024. Initially a quarterback at San Jose State, the fifth-year senior has spent the last three seasons as a receiver, primarily in the slot standing at 6'3".
Round 7, Pick 240) Logan Brown, OT (Kansas)
With the final pick of this exercise, the Patriots go with a dev tackle option in Logan Brown, a Wisconsin to Kansas transfer with elite physical upside at 6'6" and 312. 2024 was his largest sample size as a player, starting in all but one game for the Jayhawks and earning Second-Team All Big-XII honors.
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