Patriots
The Patriots’ hopes of drafting Travis Hunter or landing a haul of picks in April ended on Sunday.
The Patriots might have walked off the field at Gillette Stadium with a win on Sunday, but it came at the cost of either a blue-chip prospect — or a haul of additional draft picks.
Entering Week 18 with a hold on the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, all New England had to do was lose to the Bills on Sunday to secure that top selection.
But even with New England taking out Drake Maye after his first series, the Patriots managed to beat the Bills, 23-16, in a contest where Buffalo rested a majority of their top players.
It was a crushing result for New England’s draft outlook, with New England dropping from No. 1 to No. 4 overall in the 2025 draft order after the Browns, Titans, and Giants all lost this week.
As a result of Tennessee’s strength-of-schedule tiebreakers over the Browns and Giants, the Titans are now expected to pick first in the 2025 NFL Draft, followed by the Browns, Giants, and now Patriots.
Sunday’s win ironically stands as a significant setback for a Patriots team that has to fill several holes across its roster if it hopes to claw out of obscurity in 2025 and beyond.
Holding onto the No. 1 pick would have given Eliot Wolf and New England’s top brass several options.
The Patriots could have selected arguably the most talented player in this draft class in reigning Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter with the No. 1 pick — giving the team an explosive wide receiver and cornerback who could inject star talent on both sides of the ball.
But given how many deficiencies are present across this roster, New England could have also traded down the No. 1 pick — especially for a team in desperate need of a quarterback — in order to gain several additional draft picks, especially future first or second-round selections.
New England will still likely land a promising prospect at No. 4, be it a wideout like Tetairoa McMillan, a tackle like Will Campbell, or a pass-rushing force like Abdul Carter.
But the Patriots could have still landed one of those prospects — while also gaining several other critical draft picks — had they held onto the No. 1 pick and traded down.
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