Patriots final 2025 NFL mock draft: Trading up for receiver in first round

The NFL Draft is certainly upon us With just one day until the event kicks off Thursday at p m let s take one last crack at a Patriots mock draft Related Articles Patriots NFL Draft big board Travis Hunter Abdul Carter Will Campbell and more prospective picks Kyed Patriots ultimately in a tough spot at No with no sure thing NFL Draft anticipated Patriots offensive tackle draft picks NFL Draft probable Patriots wide receiver draft picks Patriots point-counterpoint What is the biggest need after left tackle Round Pick LSU OT Will Campbell Rumors percolated Tuesday via ESPN that the Browns No overall and the Giants No overall are fielding agreement offers for teams interested in trading up for Colorado wide recever cornerback Travis Hunter Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty If the Patriots are interested in Jeanty then they can likely just stay put at No overall But if they want to draft Hunter or Carter which they absolutely should then they would likely need to move up to Nos or overall We re trying to make this mock draft as realistic as viable So while we would absolutely advocate for the Patriots to business up to land one of the top two players in what is ultimately a three-player draft Miami QB Cam Ward who s expected to go No overall to the Titans included it feels risky to predict such a move until a deal is genuinely consummated If the Patriots commerce up to select Hunter then they would be acquiring both the best wide receiver and cornerback in this year s class With a glaring need at wide receiver and after adding Carlton Davis to join Christan Gonzalez at cornerback it would make majority of sense for the Patriots to make Hunter s primary position wide receiver Carter would fill a massive need on the edge where the Patriots still need pass-rushing help after signing Harold Landry and K Lavon Chaisson to join Keion White and Anfernee Jennings The Patriots pass rush was abysmal last season and while Landry and Chaisson will help they won t provide the same amount of juice as Carter Assuming the Patriots don t make a deal to move up one or two spots then the greater part likely scenario still remains that Campbell although flawed will be the pick over other options like Jeanty Georgia edge defender Jalon Walker Penn State tight end Tyler Warren Missouri tackle Armand Membou and Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham Campbell lacks ideal length for a left tackle but he still made it work for three starting seasons in the SEC Jeanty and Warren lack positional value Walker is undersized Membou also lacks length and plays right tackle and Graham lacks length and could be considered redundant with Milton Williams and Christian Barmore already signed to high-priced deals Trading up for Hunter or Carter would be an ideal situation Convincing a organization to transaction up to No overall to take Jeanty also sounds appealing If those options are off the table then Campbell is a safe pick to help out at left tackle or guard Round Pick CONTRACT Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka We re swinging a deal back into the first round to fill a massive need at wide receiver To make the exchange work we re sending the Patriots second-round pick No overall the third-round pick they received for Matthew Judon No overall and the fifth-round pick they got in the Joe Milton III contract No to the Rams for No overall and No overall in the sixth round Ebuka is a versatile wide receiver who s a coach s dream He s big - smart athletic and productive A five-star recruit coming out of high school Egbuka put together two -catch -yard -touchdown college seasons despite sharing the field with Marvin Harrison Jr and Jeremiah Smith He was a captain as a senior in college and can play outside or in the slot He d give Drake Maye a dependable weapon and Josh McDaniels a young wide receiver who will have no matter picking up a complex offense Round Pick LSU EDGE Bradyn Swinson Let s grab Campbell s teammate early in the third round Swinson proved last season that he can disrupt the passer with sacks and pressures The Patriots do need help getting after the passer on the edge Swinson might not be ready for an early-down role right away but he could spell Landry or outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings in a designated pass-rusher role on third down Round Pick Kentucky DT Deone Walker The Patriots need more depth on their defensive line with uncertainty around Barmore s availability Walker is -foot- pounds and was a game-wrecker in with sacks He suffered a back injury in and wasn t as productive Assuming the medicals check out Walker still has a ton of upside He just turned years old and he proved his maturity by being named a captain in and at Kentucky Round Pick SMU RB Brashard Smith If McDaniels is looking for an undersized third-down back Smith is a good choice He s -foot- pounds and hauled in over receiving yards during his college career He ran a -second -yard dash so he also could be an explosive option as a ball-carrier behind Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson Round Pick Florida State K Ryan Fitzgerald The Patriots need to add a kicker to compete with John Parker Romo this offseason Fitzgerald hit -of- field goals in his final two college seasons Round Pick Montana State QB Tommy Mellott You might as well take a quarterback heavy on traits if you re waiting until the seventh round right Mellott is -feet pounds and ran a -second -yard dash at his pro day with a blazing -second -yard split -inch vertical leap -feet -inch broad jump -second short shuttle -second -cone drill and bench press reps of pounds He also tore up FCS competition last season by winning the Walter Payton Award and being named a first-team FCS All-American going - and completing of passes for yards with touchdowns and two interceptions He also carried the ball times for yards with more scores on the ground Round Pick Georgia TE Benjamin Yurosek Productive as a sophomore at Stanford in Yurosek could never regain that form even after transferring to Georgia in He flashed his athleticism with a -second -yard dash and could prove to be an athletic project with blocking prowess