After some bad drafts in the late years of Bill Belichick’s run in New England, the Patriots have started a long roster rebuild. Fortunately for New England, they have a proven evaluator in Eliot Wolf leading their scouting side and Wolf had a strong draft in his first year with the Patriots. The Tennessee Titans drafted well in the Vrabel years as well, so New England fans can be optimistic that they have the leadership in place to draft well and rebuild the franchise into contenders in the AFC. With the fourth-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, New England is in a great position to add an elite talent to their roster. Sources say that the Patriots like the three options of Penn State outside linebacker Abdul Carter, Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter, and LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell.
If Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders go in the top three, then the Patriots would probably take Carter or Hunter, whichever of those two gets to the pick. If only one quarterback is off the board and Carter and Hunter are gone. New England might take Campbell in that situation. That would give them a strong edge blocker to protect Drake Maye. They feel that Campbell is worthy of being a high first-rounder, and while he has some things to clean up, he is a safe pick to be a good, reliable pro.
I have the 2025 NFL Draft starting with Carter, Sanders, and Ward going off the board, and in that case, I believe the Patriots would take Hunter over Campbell based on speaking with sources. However, a lot can change in the final weeks before the draft. The pro-day workouts happen, pre-draft visits take place, and coaches get more involved in the draft process and they have organizational draft meetings with coaches and scouts. As it stands right now, the Patriots are almost certainly going to come away with one of the players they really like in Carter, Hunter, or Campbell.
