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How Mac Jones helped the Patriotsā draft position on Sunday
The Patriots are now projected to have the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Mac Jones did more than earn his first career win as a starter with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon.
He also helped his former team improve their 2025 NFL Draft odds.
It was far from a perfect afternoon for Jones and the Jags, with ex-Patriots QB tossing two first-half interceptions in a tight contest against the Titans.
But Jones did enough to help his team in crunch time, orchestrating a fourth-quarter touchdown drive that sealed a 10-6 win for the Jaguars.
Jones went 23-of-31 for 220 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions in the win. But that victory came at a cost to the Jags’ rebuilding efforts.
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As a result of Sunday’s win, Jacksonville dropped from the No. 1 projected spot in the 2025 NFL Draft order to No. 5 overall.
That subsequent reshuffle benefitted New England and several other teams.
According to Tankathon, the Patriots have moved up one spot in the draft order, jumping from No. 4 to No. 3 overall. Even though several teams are stuck with the same 3-10 record, New England holds the edge over several teams due to strength of schedule and win percentage.
1. Las Vegas Raiders (2-11, .535)
2. New York Giants (2-11, .544)
3. New England Patriots (3-10, .462)
4. Carolina Panthers (3-10, .488)
5. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-10, .493)
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6. Tennessee Titans (3-10, .516)
7. New York Jets (3-10, .516)
8. Cleveland Browns (3-10, .523)
9. Chicago Bears (4-9, .566)
10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8, .486)
Even though the Raiders and Giants still hold worse records than New England, the Patriots are still expected to make a push for the No. 1 pick given their daunting slate of games to end the 2024 season, including a pair of matchups against the Bills.
Even before Week 14 commenced across the NFL, ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) gave the Patriots the best chance to land the top selection in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
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