All eyes are on the New England Patriots and the No. 4 overall pick of the 2025 NFL draft on Thursday.
Everyone knows the Tennessee Titans are likely taking Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick, and both the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants appear to be likely locked in on Colorado receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.
However, things start to get interesting when the Patriots are on the board. They could draft for need and look to add either LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell or Missouri’s Armand Membou. Perhaps they’d even consider a defensive player to help out on the edge, such as Georgia’s Jalon Walker.
Or, they could simply take the best available player, which could end up being Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. We haven’t even talked about the potential trade possibilities yet. All options should be on the table for the rebuilding Patriots.
Here are the latest rumors surrounding the Patriots ahead of Day 1 of the draft:
Does Drake Maye already know who the Patriots are picking?
NFL draft analyst Todd McShay teased that quarterback Drake Maye might already know who the Patriots are picking at No. 4 in his latest mock draft for The Ringer. That player is LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell.
McShay wrote:
“Campbell’s recall and football intelligence sold Vrabel on making him the leader of the Patriots’ OL room. There’s even a report that Drake Maye knows Campbell is the pick.”
Maye could certainly use a massive upgrade at left tackle, and Campbell might be the best option available at the top of the draft board.
Patriots are fielding trade calls
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that the Browns, Giants and Patriots have all received trade calls regarding picks 2-4.
The Browns, Giants and Patriots have all received trade calls about picks Nos. 2-4.
Teams interested in moving up have a specific player in mind, sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/HJGywAefEK
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) April 24, 2025
There are a lot of holes to fill on New England’s roster. So they’d likely be interested in moving down the board for the right offer at No. 4. That decision would also likely depend on who’s available when it’s their turn to pick.
But a potential trade is something to keep an eye on for New England.
WR Kayshon Boutte could be on the trade block
ESPN’s Adam Schefter recently dropped some trade nuggets ahead of the draft, and Patriots receiver Kayshon Boutte was named as a potential trade candidate. That would make sense if the Patriots want to add another receiver through the draft.
It’s hard to know exactly what kind of trade value Boutte would have at this moment. He’s an ascending talent who hauled in 43 receptions for 589 yards and three touchdowns last season. The best the Patriots could likely wish for is a late-round pick in return for the former LSU star.
Likelihood of a draft trade is “slim”
Teams will likely call and inquire about trading up, but The Athletic’s Chad Graff believes the likelihood of it actually happening is slim.
Graff wrote:
“Slim. I talked to someone from a team who picks outside the top 10, and they said they’d be shocked if someone moved up for the fourth pick,” Graff wrote. “Here’s the rationale: This draft class has two blue-chip prospects (Hunter and Carter). After that, the next tier has around a dozen prospects. So why move up to No. 4 when the player there is likely rated around the same as the No. 10 player?”
The Patriots aren’t going to just give the No. 4 pick away. If they can’t find a good return in a trade, assuming an offer is even on the table, they’ll likely stay put and make their selection.
Patriots unlikely to land their dream targets
Patriots fans are crossing their fingers that either Colorado receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter or Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter falls to them at No. 4. However, NFL insider Albert Breer poured a bucket of ice water on those hopes earlier in the month.
“It’s starting to feel to me like there’s less and less of a likelihood that Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter get to the Patriots,” Breer said on NBC Sports Boston. “The [Cleveland] Browns and [New York] Giants have at least given off some signals over the last week or two that they could take position players—Hunter, Carter, at [No. 2 or No. 3].”
Both the Giants and Browns would benefit from drafting a quarterback, but if neither team believes in Shedeur Sanders or Jaxson Dart enough to use their top pick on them, it likely means they’ll settle for the best available options, which is bad news for the Patriots.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots 2025 NFL draft rumors tracker: Who’s the pick at No. 4?
All eyes are on the New England Patriots and the No. 4 overall pick of the 2025 NFL draft on Thursday.
Everyone knows the Tennessee Titans are likely taking Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick, and both the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants appear to be likely locked in on Colorado receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.
However, things start to get interesting when the Patriots are on the board. They could draft for need and look to add either LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell or Missouri’s Armand Membou. Perhaps they’d even consider a defensive player to help out on the edge, such as Georgia’s Jalon Walker.
Or, they could simply take the best available player, which could end up being Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. We haven’t even talked about the potential trade possibilities yet. All options should be on the table for the rebuilding Patriots.
Here are the latest rumors surrounding the Patriots ahead of Day 1 of the draft:
Does Drake Maye already know who the Patriots are picking?
NFL draft analyst Todd McShay teased that quarterback Drake Maye might already know who the Patriots are picking at No. 4 in his latest mock draft for The Ringer. That player is LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell.
McShay wrote:
“Campbell’s recall and football intelligence sold Vrabel on making him the leader of the Patriots’ OL room. There’s even a report that Drake Maye knows Campbell is the pick.”
Maye could certainly use a massive upgrade at left tackle, and Campbell might be the best option available at the top of the draft board.
Patriots are fielding trade calls
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that the Browns, Giants and Patriots have all received trade calls regarding picks 2-4.
The Browns, Giants and Patriots have all received trade calls about picks Nos. 2-4.
Teams interested in moving up have a specific player in mind, sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/HJGywAefEK
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) April 24, 2025
There are a lot of holes to fill on New England’s roster. So they’d likely be interested in moving down the board for the right offer at No. 4. That decision would also likely depend on who’s available when it’s their turn to pick.
But a potential trade is something to keep an eye on for New England.
WR Kayshon Boutte could be on the trade block
ESPN’s Adam Schefter recently dropped some trade nuggets ahead of the draft, and Patriots receiver Kayshon Boutte was named as a potential trade candidate. That would make sense if the Patriots want to add another receiver through the draft.
It’s hard to know exactly what kind of trade value Boutte would have at this moment. He’s an ascending talent who hauled in 43 receptions for 589 yards and three touchdowns last season. The best the Patriots could likely wish for is a late-round pick in return for the former LSU star.
Likelihood of a draft trade is “slim”
Teams will likely call and inquire about trading up, but The Athletic’s Chad Graff believes the likelihood of it actually happening is slim.
Graff wrote:
“Slim. I talked to someone from a team who picks outside the top 10, and they said they’d be shocked if someone moved up for the fourth pick,” Graff wrote. “Here’s the rationale: This draft class has two blue-chip prospects (Hunter and Carter). After that, the next tier has around a dozen prospects. So why move up to No. 4 when the player there is likely rated around the same as the No. 10 player?”
The Patriots aren’t going to just give the No. 4 pick away. If they can’t find a good return in a trade, assuming an offer is even on the table, they’ll likely stay put and make their selection.
Patriots unlikely to land their dream targets
Patriots fans are crossing their fingers that either Colorado receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter or Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter falls to them at No. 4. However, NFL insider Albert Breer poured a bucket of ice water on those hopes earlier in the month.
“It’s starting to feel to me like there’s less and less of a likelihood that Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter get to the Patriots,” Breer said on NBC Sports Boston. “The [Cleveland] Browns and [New York] Giants have at least given off some signals over the last week or two that they could take position players—Hunter, Carter, at [No. 2 or No. 3].”
Both the Giants and Browns would benefit from drafting a quarterback, but if neither team believes in Shedeur Sanders or Jaxson Dart enough to use their top pick on them, it likely means they’ll settle for the best available options, which is bad news for the Patriots.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots 2025 NFL draft rumors tracker: Who’s the pick at No. 4?
