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Mocks are never predictive, but they are useful tools to get a sense of the shape of a draft and to explore possibilities that may make sense. This one has no trades. 3 rounds, 98 picks. All 7 rounds for Patriots given at end.
Assumptions:
1. The Pats re-sign EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson and DT Khyris Tonga
2. The Pats either keep RG Mike Onwenu and/or use the money saved to sign a UFA IOL such as Tyler Linderbaum (C) or David Edwards (G).
3. The Pats sign at least 1 FA EDGE or versatile LB such as Trey Hendrickson, Odafe Oweh, Jaelen Phillips, Quay Walker, or Devin Lloyd.
4. The Pats either re-sign Austin Hooper or sign a UFA FA TE.
5. The Pats re-sign S Jaylinn Hawkins
Round 1:
1. Las Vegas. Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana.
2. NY Jets. Arvell Reese, LB/EDGE, Ohio St. I hate this pick.
3. Arizona. Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami. I'm not sure Francis Mauigoa is worth the #3 pick as a pure talent, but it is a bit similar to the Will Campbell pick last year.
4. Tennessee. Caleb Banks, DL, Florida. Planet Theory. Banks is a freak who can dictate game plans, and those are the kind of players who go top 5. He and Jeffery Simmons will be too much to handle, and will make the Titans instantly competitive.
5. NY Giants. Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio St. The Giants need many things, but WR tops the list. Injury history gives Tate the nod over Jordyn Tyson.
6. Cleveland. Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia. I previously had Trevor Goosby here. Freeling has similar upside.
7. Washington. David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech. Another freak who can dictate game plans and change the course of a game.
8. New Orleans. Rueben Bain, EDGE, Miami. My last defensive alpha. Successor to Cam Jordan.
9. Kansas City. Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame. Love will revitalize the KC offense. Best offensive playmaker in the draft.
10. Cincinnati. Caleb Downs, S, Ohio St. Downs may teach the Bengals how to actually play defense.
11. Miami. Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona St. Best WR in the draft when healthy.
12. Dallas. Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn. Sonny Styles is tempting, but Dallas needs EDGE more.
13. LA Rams (from Atlanta). Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee. A great fit.
14. Baltimore. Spencer Fano, OL, Utah. Vega Ioane is tempting, too. Both seem tough, physical, Ravens types.
15. Tampa Bay. Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio St. The heir to Lavonte David.
16. NY Jets. Makai Lemon, WR, USC. I hate this pick.
17. Detroit. Olaivavega Ioane, IOL, Penn St. Caleb Lomu could be an option but Ioane and Penei Sewell on the same OL could be dominant.
18. Minnesota. Aveion Terrell, CB, Clemson. A Honey Badger. Brian Flores wanted Sonny Styles, but Terrell is a versatile weapon.
19. Carolina. Peter Woods, DT, Clemson. Woods slips, but is still a 1st round 3-Tech.
20. Dallas (from Green Bay). Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU. So smooth.
21. Pittsburgh. Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama. Mac Jones with a stronger arm and slightly more upside. Steelers are desperate, can give Simpson a year to develop.
22. LA Chargers. Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio St. He will make an already very good defense so much better.
23. Philadelphia. Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon. Akheem Mesidor very tempting here. Max Iheanachor or Blake Miller also options as Lane Johnson successors.
24. Cleveland (from Jacksonville). Denzel Boston, WR, Washington.
25. Chicago. Lee Hunter, DL, Texas Tech. Caleb Banks was a dream, Hunter is nearly as disruptive.
26. Buffalo. CJ Allen, LB, Georgia. Not thrilled about Allen to the Bills. Don't like guys named Allen on the Bills.
27. San Francisco. KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and Caleb Lomu are both tempting, but SF has nothing at WR.
28. Houston. Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah. They need a LT like Lomu badly. Aiereontae Ersery moves to the right side, where he will be much more effective.
29. LA Rams. Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Miami. All roads ended before the Pats could get Akheem Mesidor. Mesidor and Jared Verse will be a fearsome EDGE combo.
30. Denver. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo. Another guy who will make a very good defense even better.
31. Seattle. Emmanuel Pregnon, IOL, Oregon. Mike McDonald is elated. Grey Zabel and Pregnon will be one of the best IOL pairs in the NFL.
32. New England. Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona St. Very tough call between Iheanachor and TJ Parker, but Iheanachor has more upside, and protecting the Drake is top priority. 6'5" 330# guys should not move their feet like Iheanachor.
Round 2:
33. NY Jets. TJ Parker, EDGE, Clemson. I hate this pick.
34. Arizona. Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss. Cardinals hope Chambliss can mature into what they had hoped would be.
35. Tennessee. Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee. Hood could sneak into the 1st round, would be solid value here.
36. Las Vegas. Kadyn Proctor, OL, Alabama. Planet Theory again.
37. NY Giants. Brandon Cisse, CB, S. Carolina As with Colton Hood, Cisse could easily go 1st round.
38. Houston (from Washington). Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati. Golday will add a versatile weapon to Houston’s already elite defense.
39. Cleveland. Blake Miller, OT, Clemson. Cleveland doubles up at OT, along with a WR, to revamp their offense.
40. Kansas City. Chris Bell, WR, Louisville. I hate this pick.
41. Cincinnati. Christen Miller, DL, Georgia.
42. New Orleans. Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia St. Hurst will be a riser, is currently my WR7.
43. Miami. Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego St.
44. NY Jets (from Dallas). Jardarian Price, RB, Notre Dame. I hate this pick.
45. Baltimore. Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M.
46. Tampa Bay. Chris Brazzell, WR, Tennessee. TB needs a Mike Evans successor.
47. Indianapolis. Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon. Josiah Trotter could also be a nice fit.
48. Atlanta. Keith Abney, CB, Arizona St.
49. Minnesota. Anthony Hill, LB, Texas. Brian Flores missed out on Reese and Styles but gets a consolation prize.
50. Detroit. Keionte Scott, DB, Miami. He will be so disruptive.
51. Carolina. Antonio Williams, WR, Clemson.
52. Green Bay. Devin Moore, CB, Florida. My favorite outside CB in this group.
53. Pittsburgh. Ja’Kobi Lane, WR, USC.
54. Philadelphia. Zion Young, EDGE, Missouri. The Eagles will need pass rush, especially if Jaelen Phillips isn’t re-signed.
55. LA Chargers. R. Mason Thomas, EDGE, Oklahoma. Ditto for the Chargers, especially if Odafe Oweh isn’t re-signed.
56. Jacksonville. Domonique Orange, DL, Iowa St.
57. Chicago. Kamari Ramsey, S, USC. Very vers
58. San Francisco. Treydan Stukes, DB, Arizona. d%#*!@t.
59. Houston. Chase Bisontis, OL, Texas A&M. With Lomu and Bisontis, Houston’s OL will be much, much better than in 2025.
60. Buffalo. Omar Cooper, WR, Indiana. Josh Allen will love Cooper.
61. LA Rams. Austin Barber, OT, Florida.
62. Denver. Eli Raridon, TE, Notre Dame.
63. Seattle. Josiah Trotter, LB, Missouri.
64. New England. Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF.
Round 3:
65. Arizona. Jonah Coleman, RB, Washington.
66. Tennessee. Connor Lew, OC, Auburn.
67. Las Vegas. Julian Neal, CB, Arkansas.
68. Philadelphia (from NY Jets). D’Angelo Ponds, DB, Indiana.
69. Houston (from NY Giants). Emmet Johnson, RB, Nebraska.
70. Cleveland. Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia. Branch and Denzel Boston will open up Cleveland’s offense.
71. Washington. Max Klare, TE, Ohio St.
72. Cincinnati. Deontae Lawson, LB, Alabama.
73. New Orleans. Darrell Jackson, DL, Florida St. Jackson and Rueben Bain will wreck havoc.
74. Kansas City. Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt. Travis Kelce cannot last forever.
75. Miami. Michael Trigg, TE, Baylor.
76 Pittsburgh (from Dallas). Gennings Dunker, OL, Iowa. He feels like a Steeler to me.
77. Tampa Bay. Justin Joly, TE, NC State.
78. Indianapolis. Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech. Manx was right. Manx is always right.
79. Atlanta. Derrick Moore, EDGE, Michigan. Atlanta has discovered the joys of having a pass rush, and wants more … I mean Moore.
80. Baltimore. Deion Burks, WR, Oklahoma.
81. Jacksonville (from Detroit). AJ Haulcy, S, LSU.
82. Minnesota. Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn St.
83. Carolina. Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama.
84. Green Bay. Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame.
85. Pittsburgh. Genesis Smith, S, Arizona.
86. LA Chargers. Keylan Rutledge, IOL, Georgia Tech.
87. Miami (from Philadelphia). Zakee Wheatley, S, Penn St.
88. Jacksonville. Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana.
89. Chicago. Charles Demmings, CB, Stephen F. Austin.
90. Miami (from Houston). Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU.
91. Buffalo. Jonathan Joseph, EDGE, Tennessee.
92. San Francisco. Gabe Jacas, EDGE, Illinois.
93. LA Rams. Caleb Tiernan, T, Northwestern.
94. Denver. Isaiah World, OT, Oregon.
95. Seattle. Romello Height, EDGE, Texas Tech.
96. New England. DeZhaun Stribling, WR, Ole Miss. Eventual Stephon Diggs successor, will be an immediate upgrade over Douglas/Chism. All roads lead to DeZhaun Stribling.
97 (projected comp). Minnesota. Drew Allar, QB, Penn St. Vikings need to push JJ McCarthy.
98 (projected comp). Philadelphia. Jason Kilgore, S, S. Carolina.
Full 7 Round Patriots Mock:
1(32). Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona St.
2(64). Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF
3(96). DeZhaun Stribling, WR, Ole Miss.
4a. Fa’alili Fa’amoe, OL, Fa’amoe could probably start at RG if necessary, will take over from Mike Onwenu by 2027. Fa’amoe and Max Iheanachor would be a dominant right side.
4b. Kyle Louis, LB, Pittsburgh. Jacob Rodriguez would make sense at 4a if available, but he goes 3rd round in this mock. Louis is versatile, athletic, great in coverage, and plays with a non-stop motor.
5. VJ Payne, S, Kansas St. 6’3” 210# with 34” arms and man coverage skills. He can develop behind Woodson and Hawkins.
*** Patriots trade their earliest 6th round pick and their 7th round pick for a 2027 5th. They don’t need 11 rookies.
6a. Jeff Caldwell, WR, Cincinnati. Budget Charlie Becker. Or Reggie Vigil. Or Josh Cameron. Or Romello Brinson. But Caldwell has freakish size/speed/agility combo and big play/red zone upside.
6b. Ceyair Wright, CB, Nebraska. 6’ 190# with great speed and coverage skills, inside/out versatility.
6c. Oscar Delp, TE, Georgia Or Tanner Koziel. Or Sam Roush. Delp’s production hasn’t matched his athleticism, but the bones are there for him to become what the Pats hoped to get with Jaheim Bell.
Analysis:
This is a "draft for 2027" scenario. The Pats are already a SB team in year 1 of a rebuild. Drake Maye is the franchise and should get better. The coaching staff is among the best in the league, is stable, and has shown the ability to coach players up. Will Campbell, Treyvon Henderson, Kyle Williams, Jared Wilson and Craig Woodson should all get better and be significant starters/contributors. The team will have Antonio Gibson, Lan Larison and Brock Lampers back from IR to boost the running game. Josh Farmer, Elijah Ponder, and Bradyn Swinson show some promise as depth pieces. With the re-signings and UFA signings listed above, the team should be very competitive in 2027, without having to over-rely on immediate rookie contributions, allowing them to draft for 2026 depth turning into 2027 starters, contributors, and depth.
The OL and outside pass rush are the 2 greatest areas of need, followed by LB and secondary depth.
This draft assumes a bit of a “worse case” scenario in terms of players that I would like to target not being available. Monroe Freeling, Akheem Mesidor and Emmanuel Pregnon are all gone before the Pats’ 1st round pick, which I think is highly probable. I chose Max Iheanachor over TJ Parker at 32 because of his upside, the importance of protecting Drake Maye, and my feeling that OT options at 64 would be limited. Favorites like Chris Bell, Ted Hurst, Keionte Scott, Treydan Stukes and Devin Moore were all off the board well before the Pats’ had an opportunity to snag them. Guys like Zakee Wheatley, Charles Demmings and Jacob Rodriguez also went to early. In spite of that, I think day 3 provided some strong developmental talent who could mature into significant contributors over time.
Assumptions:
1. The Pats re-sign EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson and DT Khyris Tonga
2. The Pats either keep RG Mike Onwenu and/or use the money saved to sign a UFA IOL such as Tyler Linderbaum (C) or David Edwards (G).
3. The Pats sign at least 1 FA EDGE or versatile LB such as Trey Hendrickson, Odafe Oweh, Jaelen Phillips, Quay Walker, or Devin Lloyd.
4. The Pats either re-sign Austin Hooper or sign a UFA FA TE.
5. The Pats re-sign S Jaylinn Hawkins
Round 1:
1. Las Vegas. Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana.
2. NY Jets. Arvell Reese, LB/EDGE, Ohio St. I hate this pick.
3. Arizona. Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami. I'm not sure Francis Mauigoa is worth the #3 pick as a pure talent, but it is a bit similar to the Will Campbell pick last year.
4. Tennessee. Caleb Banks, DL, Florida. Planet Theory. Banks is a freak who can dictate game plans, and those are the kind of players who go top 5. He and Jeffery Simmons will be too much to handle, and will make the Titans instantly competitive.
5. NY Giants. Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio St. The Giants need many things, but WR tops the list. Injury history gives Tate the nod over Jordyn Tyson.
6. Cleveland. Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia. I previously had Trevor Goosby here. Freeling has similar upside.
7. Washington. David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech. Another freak who can dictate game plans and change the course of a game.
8. New Orleans. Rueben Bain, EDGE, Miami. My last defensive alpha. Successor to Cam Jordan.
9. Kansas City. Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame. Love will revitalize the KC offense. Best offensive playmaker in the draft.
10. Cincinnati. Caleb Downs, S, Ohio St. Downs may teach the Bengals how to actually play defense.
11. Miami. Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona St. Best WR in the draft when healthy.
12. Dallas. Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn. Sonny Styles is tempting, but Dallas needs EDGE more.
13. LA Rams (from Atlanta). Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee. A great fit.
14. Baltimore. Spencer Fano, OL, Utah. Vega Ioane is tempting, too. Both seem tough, physical, Ravens types.
15. Tampa Bay. Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio St. The heir to Lavonte David.
16. NY Jets. Makai Lemon, WR, USC. I hate this pick.
17. Detroit. Olaivavega Ioane, IOL, Penn St. Caleb Lomu could be an option but Ioane and Penei Sewell on the same OL could be dominant.
18. Minnesota. Aveion Terrell, CB, Clemson. A Honey Badger. Brian Flores wanted Sonny Styles, but Terrell is a versatile weapon.
19. Carolina. Peter Woods, DT, Clemson. Woods slips, but is still a 1st round 3-Tech.
20. Dallas (from Green Bay). Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU. So smooth.
21. Pittsburgh. Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama. Mac Jones with a stronger arm and slightly more upside. Steelers are desperate, can give Simpson a year to develop.
22. LA Chargers. Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio St. He will make an already very good defense so much better.
23. Philadelphia. Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon. Akheem Mesidor very tempting here. Max Iheanachor or Blake Miller also options as Lane Johnson successors.
24. Cleveland (from Jacksonville). Denzel Boston, WR, Washington.
25. Chicago. Lee Hunter, DL, Texas Tech. Caleb Banks was a dream, Hunter is nearly as disruptive.
26. Buffalo. CJ Allen, LB, Georgia. Not thrilled about Allen to the Bills. Don't like guys named Allen on the Bills.
27. San Francisco. KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and Caleb Lomu are both tempting, but SF has nothing at WR.
28. Houston. Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah. They need a LT like Lomu badly. Aiereontae Ersery moves to the right side, where he will be much more effective.
29. LA Rams. Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Miami. All roads ended before the Pats could get Akheem Mesidor. Mesidor and Jared Verse will be a fearsome EDGE combo.
30. Denver. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo. Another guy who will make a very good defense even better.
31. Seattle. Emmanuel Pregnon, IOL, Oregon. Mike McDonald is elated. Grey Zabel and Pregnon will be one of the best IOL pairs in the NFL.
32. New England. Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona St. Very tough call between Iheanachor and TJ Parker, but Iheanachor has more upside, and protecting the Drake is top priority. 6'5" 330# guys should not move their feet like Iheanachor.
Round 2:
33. NY Jets. TJ Parker, EDGE, Clemson. I hate this pick.
34. Arizona. Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss. Cardinals hope Chambliss can mature into what they had hoped would be.
35. Tennessee. Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee. Hood could sneak into the 1st round, would be solid value here.
36. Las Vegas. Kadyn Proctor, OL, Alabama. Planet Theory again.
37. NY Giants. Brandon Cisse, CB, S. Carolina As with Colton Hood, Cisse could easily go 1st round.
38. Houston (from Washington). Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati. Golday will add a versatile weapon to Houston’s already elite defense.
39. Cleveland. Blake Miller, OT, Clemson. Cleveland doubles up at OT, along with a WR, to revamp their offense.
40. Kansas City. Chris Bell, WR, Louisville. I hate this pick.
41. Cincinnati. Christen Miller, DL, Georgia.
42. New Orleans. Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia St. Hurst will be a riser, is currently my WR7.
43. Miami. Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego St.
44. NY Jets (from Dallas). Jardarian Price, RB, Notre Dame. I hate this pick.
45. Baltimore. Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M.
46. Tampa Bay. Chris Brazzell, WR, Tennessee. TB needs a Mike Evans successor.
47. Indianapolis. Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon. Josiah Trotter could also be a nice fit.
48. Atlanta. Keith Abney, CB, Arizona St.
49. Minnesota. Anthony Hill, LB, Texas. Brian Flores missed out on Reese and Styles but gets a consolation prize.
50. Detroit. Keionte Scott, DB, Miami. He will be so disruptive.
51. Carolina. Antonio Williams, WR, Clemson.
52. Green Bay. Devin Moore, CB, Florida. My favorite outside CB in this group.
53. Pittsburgh. Ja’Kobi Lane, WR, USC.
54. Philadelphia. Zion Young, EDGE, Missouri. The Eagles will need pass rush, especially if Jaelen Phillips isn’t re-signed.
55. LA Chargers. R. Mason Thomas, EDGE, Oklahoma. Ditto for the Chargers, especially if Odafe Oweh isn’t re-signed.
56. Jacksonville. Domonique Orange, DL, Iowa St.
57. Chicago. Kamari Ramsey, S, USC. Very vers
58. San Francisco. Treydan Stukes, DB, Arizona. d%#*!@t.
59. Houston. Chase Bisontis, OL, Texas A&M. With Lomu and Bisontis, Houston’s OL will be much, much better than in 2025.
60. Buffalo. Omar Cooper, WR, Indiana. Josh Allen will love Cooper.
61. LA Rams. Austin Barber, OT, Florida.
62. Denver. Eli Raridon, TE, Notre Dame.
63. Seattle. Josiah Trotter, LB, Missouri.
64. New England. Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF.
Round 3:
65. Arizona. Jonah Coleman, RB, Washington.
66. Tennessee. Connor Lew, OC, Auburn.
67. Las Vegas. Julian Neal, CB, Arkansas.
68. Philadelphia (from NY Jets). D’Angelo Ponds, DB, Indiana.
69. Houston (from NY Giants). Emmet Johnson, RB, Nebraska.
70. Cleveland. Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia. Branch and Denzel Boston will open up Cleveland’s offense.
71. Washington. Max Klare, TE, Ohio St.
72. Cincinnati. Deontae Lawson, LB, Alabama.
73. New Orleans. Darrell Jackson, DL, Florida St. Jackson and Rueben Bain will wreck havoc.
74. Kansas City. Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt. Travis Kelce cannot last forever.
75. Miami. Michael Trigg, TE, Baylor.
76 Pittsburgh (from Dallas). Gennings Dunker, OL, Iowa. He feels like a Steeler to me.
77. Tampa Bay. Justin Joly, TE, NC State.
78. Indianapolis. Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech. Manx was right. Manx is always right.
79. Atlanta. Derrick Moore, EDGE, Michigan. Atlanta has discovered the joys of having a pass rush, and wants more … I mean Moore.
80. Baltimore. Deion Burks, WR, Oklahoma.
81. Jacksonville (from Detroit). AJ Haulcy, S, LSU.
82. Minnesota. Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn St.
83. Carolina. Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama.
84. Green Bay. Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame.
85. Pittsburgh. Genesis Smith, S, Arizona.
86. LA Chargers. Keylan Rutledge, IOL, Georgia Tech.
87. Miami (from Philadelphia). Zakee Wheatley, S, Penn St.
88. Jacksonville. Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana.
89. Chicago. Charles Demmings, CB, Stephen F. Austin.
90. Miami (from Houston). Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU.
91. Buffalo. Jonathan Joseph, EDGE, Tennessee.
92. San Francisco. Gabe Jacas, EDGE, Illinois.
93. LA Rams. Caleb Tiernan, T, Northwestern.
94. Denver. Isaiah World, OT, Oregon.
95. Seattle. Romello Height, EDGE, Texas Tech.
96. New England. DeZhaun Stribling, WR, Ole Miss. Eventual Stephon Diggs successor, will be an immediate upgrade over Douglas/Chism. All roads lead to DeZhaun Stribling.
97 (projected comp). Minnesota. Drew Allar, QB, Penn St. Vikings need to push JJ McCarthy.
98 (projected comp). Philadelphia. Jason Kilgore, S, S. Carolina.
Full 7 Round Patriots Mock:
1(32). Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona St.
2(64). Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF
3(96). DeZhaun Stribling, WR, Ole Miss.
4a. Fa’alili Fa’amoe, OL, Fa’amoe could probably start at RG if necessary, will take over from Mike Onwenu by 2027. Fa’amoe and Max Iheanachor would be a dominant right side.
4b. Kyle Louis, LB, Pittsburgh. Jacob Rodriguez would make sense at 4a if available, but he goes 3rd round in this mock. Louis is versatile, athletic, great in coverage, and plays with a non-stop motor.
5. VJ Payne, S, Kansas St. 6’3” 210# with 34” arms and man coverage skills. He can develop behind Woodson and Hawkins.
*** Patriots trade their earliest 6th round pick and their 7th round pick for a 2027 5th. They don’t need 11 rookies.
6a. Jeff Caldwell, WR, Cincinnati. Budget Charlie Becker. Or Reggie Vigil. Or Josh Cameron. Or Romello Brinson. But Caldwell has freakish size/speed/agility combo and big play/red zone upside.
6b. Ceyair Wright, CB, Nebraska. 6’ 190# with great speed and coverage skills, inside/out versatility.
6c. Oscar Delp, TE, Georgia Or Tanner Koziel. Or Sam Roush. Delp’s production hasn’t matched his athleticism, but the bones are there for him to become what the Pats hoped to get with Jaheim Bell.
Analysis:
This is a "draft for 2027" scenario. The Pats are already a SB team in year 1 of a rebuild. Drake Maye is the franchise and should get better. The coaching staff is among the best in the league, is stable, and has shown the ability to coach players up. Will Campbell, Treyvon Henderson, Kyle Williams, Jared Wilson and Craig Woodson should all get better and be significant starters/contributors. The team will have Antonio Gibson, Lan Larison and Brock Lampers back from IR to boost the running game. Josh Farmer, Elijah Ponder, and Bradyn Swinson show some promise as depth pieces. With the re-signings and UFA signings listed above, the team should be very competitive in 2027, without having to over-rely on immediate rookie contributions, allowing them to draft for 2026 depth turning into 2027 starters, contributors, and depth.
The OL and outside pass rush are the 2 greatest areas of need, followed by LB and secondary depth.
This draft assumes a bit of a “worse case” scenario in terms of players that I would like to target not being available. Monroe Freeling, Akheem Mesidor and Emmanuel Pregnon are all gone before the Pats’ 1st round pick, which I think is highly probable. I chose Max Iheanachor over TJ Parker at 32 because of his upside, the importance of protecting Drake Maye, and my feeling that OT options at 64 would be limited. Favorites like Chris Bell, Ted Hurst, Keionte Scott, Treydan Stukes and Devin Moore were all off the board well before the Pats’ had an opportunity to snag them. Guys like Zakee Wheatley, Charles Demmings and Jacob Rodriguez also went to early. In spite of that, I think day 3 provided some strong developmental talent who could mature into significant contributors over time.
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