MORSE: Patriots Mock Draft #4
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Posted Under: 2025 Patriots Draft
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The Draft is just 24 days away! In my last Mock Draft, I had both Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter taken in the 1st three picks. For this Mock Draft I am going to assume that Cam Ward is #1, Travis Hunter is #2 and the Giants shock everyone and take Sheddeur Sanders at #3. The Giants signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston as a backup and if they chose to draft Sanders he would not have to start right away and learn the position of NFL QB.
That leaves Abdul Carter EDGE Penn State at #4.
1-4 Abdul Carter EDGE Penn State – The Patriots are put in a little bind here. They love Carter but they desperately need a Left Tackle. The need is so desperate they may forgo the “Best Athlete Available” approach. Carter also has a medical issue discovered at the Combine. It has been reported as a foot Stress Reaction that may require a screw to be inserted into his foot and a 10-week recovery time. The latest rumor has him going in for surgery the day after the draft. That could be smoke from a team lower in the draft tat would like a shot at him. Carter did not work out at the Penn State Pro Day on Friday March 28th. His reason for not working out was a shoulder injury which initially kept him out of Combine workouts. According to his agent Drew Rosenhaus, he may work out for individual teams later in the draft process. He is only meeting with the top 4 teams in the draft and has a visit scheduled with the Patriots.
The 6’3”, 250-pound EDGE rusher runs an estimated 4.48 40-yard-dash. The unanimous All American and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year is a game changing pass rusher. The Patriots were dead last in pass rushing last year. The new Defense under new HC Mike Vrabel and DC Terell Williams, with at least 4 new starters and improved depth, will be an aggressive, up-the-field, attacking Defense and that is exactly what Carter does. Carter had 23 sacks in his 3-years at Penn State including last season with 12. He also added 24 Tackles for Loss.
Would you trade QB Joe Milton and LB Jahlani Tavai with a 2026 1st Round Selection to New Orleans for Pick #9 and 3rd Round Pick #71?
You don’t trade a young QB, under a team-friendly contract, with three years remaining for nothing. Yes, he is relatively unproven, but he looked spectacular against the 2nd string of the Bills in the final game of the season. That wasn’t the 3rd and 4th string players that a rookie QB would face in the Pre-season game. These were players that made an NFL roster. Milton has great size, mobility and arm strength to be a top tier QB. The Patriots took a chance on Milton, and I give Alex Van Pelt, TC McCarthy and Ben McAdoo all the credit for doing a great job developing him and eliminating some of his flaws. To make this trade, the Patriots trade next year’s 1st round selection in exchange for New Orleans 1st this year and their 3rd pick. The Patriots would be using their 2026 1st round pick a year earlier! In this mock draft Will Campbell has slipped all the way to #9. I would throw in LB Jahlani Tavai who no longer fits the Defense the Patriots want to run to make this deal happen.
1-9 Will Campbell Left Tackle LSU – Campbell has many fans within the Patriots scouting department. The controversy about his arm length has been dismissed by those in the Patriots hierarchy, especially long time OL coach and patriots Hall of Famer Dante Scarnecchia. He dismissed the short arm controversy about Campbell and simply stated “Trust the tape” on the player. Campbell had 33” arm length at the LSU Pro Day, measured by an NFL scout and not some flunky from LSU. Generally, the arm measurements at the Combine were short almost completely across the board. Campbell himself said that nobody measured his arms for two years while he protected LSUs quarterbacks in the SEC. He is going to be a very good Offensive Lineman in the NFL. Some think he will be a long-term Pro Bowl player, but at Guard if he doesn’t work out at Left Tackle. Take the chance!
2-38 Darious Alexander DT Toledo – Since I have already secured an OT with the trade, I can shore up another weakness with the Best Player Available. I loved what I saw of Alexander at the Senior Bowl practices. He followed that up with an impressive Combine. His 4.95 40-yard dash at 6’4”, 305-pounds was tied for 5th best at DT. On the Bench he raised the bar 28 times, which was 2nd amongst DTs. There are still questions about Christian Barmore’s health. The Patriots had Christian Barmore in a few weeks ago to meet with the doctors according to Mike Vrabel at his press conference on Monday at the NFL Meetings. The Patriots begin off-season workouts on April 7th, and Vrabel stated that he expects Barmore will be a full participant in the Voluntary workouts. He stressed Voluntary several times, and this is a right the players have per the CBA. Either way, Alexander would give them another up the field disruptor.
3-69 Ozzy Trapilo RT Boston College – The Patriots sent Eliot Wolf, Ryan Cowden, Doug Marrone and Mike Vrabel to the Boston College Pro Day last week. Marrone worked for BC Head Coach Bill O’Brien last season, working with the Offensive line. He knows Trapilo better than any lineman in the draft. Further, Trapilo has been working with Dante Scarnecchia leading up to the draft and reports from the Pro Day indicated that Trapilo has made significant progress under Scar’s tutelage. Trapilo is a large tackle at 6’8”, 316-pounds and was a 1st Team All-ACC Right Tackle last season. Under Marrone, and learning from 34-year-old Morgan Moses, who signed a 3-year contract in Free Agency, Trapilo could be a long-term solution at Right Tackle without having to be thrown into the fire as a rookie. Trapilo put up a disappointing number of reps (22) on the Bench Press that indicates he needs work in the weight room. I might add that doing the Bench Press is difficult for players like Trapilo with long arms (33” arms). Familiarity with players was important in Free Agency and given Marrone and Trapilo’s relationship last season, I expect him to be drafted by the Patriots.
3-71 Mason Taylor TE LSU – The nephew of Miami Defensive Ends coach and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Jason Taylor. The 6’5” 250-pound TE wowed Daniel Jeremiah when he ran the gauntlet drill at the Combine. Taylor painted the 35-yard line and at full speed caught every ball thrown to him with ease. Last season he had 55 catches for 546 yards and a 9.9 YPC and 2 TDs. Taylor did not run the 40 at the Combine but ran a very good 4.65 40, 7.06 3-cone and tossed a very good 28 reps on the Bench Press at his Pro Day. Let’s compare his Pro Day versus the best at Combine. His 40 would have been tied for 2nd, 3-cone 4th, and the Bench Press 2nd. In the field drills at the combine, he was magnificent. “Everything he does is smooth and natural,” an NFL Network commentator said of the record-setting pass-catcher. “He’s polished as a route-runner, understands how to work back to the quarterback. He tracks it well.” Taylor holds the LSU records for receptions and yards by a Tight End. Both Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper are on the wrong side of 30, turning 31 in season, and both are entering their 10th year in the league. Neither are good blockers.
3-77 Anthony Belton OT North Carolina State – I’m taking a hedge in case Campbell can’t play Left Tackle. I am selecting the massive Belton. The “Escalade” is 6’6” 326-pound tackle with 33 7/8” arms to keep pass rushers away from his body and ride them beyond the pocket for the passer. He can play either Left or Right Tackle. During the Senior Bowl practices Belton looked very good in matchups that are not designed for lineman to succeed. This is what NFL Draft Buzz had to say about Belton:
Belton received All-ACC Third Team honors in 2023 but not even Honorable Mention in 2024. He was suspended for 1 game for spitting on a Clemson defender. That was an automatic ejection from that blowout loss and suspended for the next game. His official weight at the Combine was 20 pounds less than his gameday weight of 356. Belton did an amazing 5.26 40-yard dash.
4- 107 JJ Peuges DT Mississippi – Peuges is a very interesting character. He stands 6’2 1/2” 309 pounds and ran a 5.15 40-yard dash. Mississippi used him as a short yardage running back and he scored two TDs. After the on-field workouts for the Defensive Tackles concluded at the Combine, Peuges had a separate workout at Fullback and caught the ball very well. I saw some of those reps and he is a natural hand catcher. In High School he was a 270-pound TE that dominated all over the field. Peuges played his 1st two seasons at Auburn where he was switched to Defense before transferring to Mississippi. His position versatility is what will attract the Patriots brass. The Patriots have already selected a D Lineman, but because of Peuges versatility they select another depth piece. NFL.com gave him a 6.25 Prospect Grade which equated to an average starter. In 2024 Peuges was nominated for the Wuerffel Trophy, an award given to a collegiate football player “who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.” He also was a member of the SEC Community Service Team which is another character trait the NFL Teams covert. This is what NFL Draft Buzz had to say about Peuges:
Peuges could be used as a legit 3rd TE or Fullback and used as a backup DT while covering 3 positions. I wouldn’t be surprised if this Swiss Army knife goes much higher than pick #107.
5-155 Issac TeSlaa WR – One of my favorite players in the draft. TeSlaa is an under-the-radar player with great physical tools. He stands 6’4”, 214-pounds and ran a 4.43 40-yard dash and a 1.51 10-yard split which was Tied for 4th. These are excellent numbers for a player of his size. He was the #1 ranked WR tester at the Combine, with an Athletic score of 96 of a possible 100. His Relative Athletic Score (RAS) is 9.96 out of 10.0. The numbers were incredible with a 39.5” Vertical Jump (4T), 10’ 9” Broad Jump (6), 6.85 3-cone Drill, 4.05 Short Shuttle (1) and 17 reps on the bench Press (3T). He has very large 10” hands and 311/2” arms. I want my receivers to be under 4.5 40 and have a 3-cone drill under 7. TeSlaa also shined in the pass catching drills with a nice adjustment to a deep ball that was underthrown and to his inside where he had to turn around in stride to make the catch. He only had 28 catches for 546 yards and 3 TDs in 2924 and 32 catches the year before in the SEC, after playing 3 seasons at DII Hillsdale College where he was the Great Midwest American Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2022. That season he caught 68 passes for 1325 yards and 13 TDs in 11 games. A year or two learning with Mack Hollins and you would really have something.
7 -217 Ja’Quavioius Marks RB USC – The 5’10” 207-pound back is a pass catching specialist. A very durable back, he missed 1 game in 5 years. He had a remarkable 214 receptions in his college career. Last season at USC he averaged 5.7 yards per carry. Not a speed burner, he ran just a 4.54 40-yard dash at the combine. He put on a show in the pass catching drills at the combine.
7-220 Raheim Sanders RB South Carolina –I thought the value is at Running back and took “Rocket” Sanders. Rocket’s 4.47 40-yard dash (at 217 pounds) is solid, but not spectacular. However, his nickname doesn’t come from his burst at the start of runs, but rather his long speed and the fact that he was rarely caught from behind. And on that note, Sanders’ two runs at the combine were the two fastest runs of the running back group at 23.55 mph and 23.48 mph. Sanders isn’t exactly quick, but he did show some good feet in the bag drills and solid hands in the receiving drills. Rhamondre Stevenson is coming off a disastrous season where he fumbled 8 times. Mike Vrabel will not tolerate that, and if Stevenson doesn’t correct the problem he will be gone.
7-238 Rueben Hypolite II LB Maryland – The 5’11” 240-pound Hypolite put on a show at his Pro day. Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda stated that Hypolite ran a blistering 4.45 40-yard dash. He went on to say some scouts had him running faster, like a 4.39 as reported in some other media reports. That speed would have been tops for an LB at the Combine. In 5 seasons at Maryland, he had 45 career starts and had over 60 tackles in 3 of the last 4 seasons, with 2022 being the exception because he missed 3 games with an injury. He may only end up as a Special Teams player but with that speed and tackling ability I believe he will be a very good addition. The Patriots have him scheduled for workout according to Pauline. This is what NFL Draft Scout said about Hypolite:
I wrote a few weeks ago that Bob Kraft had tightened the purse strings and limited the spending. Boy was I wrong! Since that writing the Patriots matched the offer by the Las Vegas Raiders on Restricted Free Agent LB Christian Ellis and re-signed him to a two year $13.5M contract. Then the shocker of signing Free Agent WR Stephon Diggs to a 3-year $69M contract with $26M guaranteed. We can no longer call Bob Kraft cheap, nor can we say they are not taking any risks. Diggs is coming off ACL surgery last October. He is supposedly way ahead of schedule in his rehab and obviously the Patriots must be comfortable after giving a full medical exam last week. He will probably not be available for the 1st game as I think they will be cautious with him.
The four-time Captain missed all but the 1st two games last season. It was reported that he had slimmed down in order to be more of a fit in the new Defense that Terrell Williams and Head Coach Mike Vrabel are installing. Bentley will turn 29 in August and it’s better to cut a player a year earlier, than a year later. The plodding. old school, run stuffer, was not the kind of player they wanted. Bentley never got the chance to show what he could do. Joe Cardona is now the only player remaining from the last Patriots Super Bowl now that Bentley has been cut. The Long Snapper will turn 33 in a couple of weeks, and he may also be facing the ax!
Bentley posted on X “ New England !! Thank You For Everything!! It’s been a blessing”. Class act by Bentley. An interesting side note is that Bentley had no guaranteed money on his contract. Further, he had just been cleared for full participation, meaning the team didn’t have to designate him with an injury waiver and pay him (like they did with David Andrews).
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