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Should the Patriots be willing to trade No. 4 pick for Myles Garrett?
"I don’t know how they view this group in terms of what will immediately yield a fix."
The Patriots are set to land a talented prospect in April with the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
But even if a blue-chip player like Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter falls to New England, is a Patriots roster woefully short on star talent across the board set to land a generational talent in this draft?
It’s that line of thinking that has NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran willing to give up that No. 4 pick if it allows the Patriots to pull off a blockbuster trade for disgruntled Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett.
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“He would, to me, be worthy of considering giving up the fourth overall pick for,” Curran said of Garrett on WEEI’s “Jones & Keefe” Tuesday.
Garrett, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, requested a trade from the Browns earlier this week — putting arguably the most impactful defensive player in the league on the market this offseason.
“While I’ve loved calling this city my home, my desire to win and compete on the biggest stages won’t allow me to be complacent. The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl,” Garrett said in his statement announcing a trade request after eight seasons in Cleveland.
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Of course, the Patriots are not exactly a team that has established itself as a contender at this stage of their rebuild.
But if New England can sell Garrett on the potential found in a young roster headlined by Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez, an established coaching staff helmed by Mike Vrabel, and plenty of resources at their disposal, the Patriots should have the means to make Cleveland a compelling offer.
Not only do the Patriots have the draft capital to offer up to the Browns, they are also operating with $120 million in cap space this offseason — more than enough to either take on Garrett’s contract (roughly $40 million over the next two years) or hand him a hefty new deal moving forward.
“Say Myles Garrett says, ‘I’ll go to this team, that team, that team, that team,’ and the Patriots were able to put a structure together, I would include the fourth overall pick for him and not bat an eye about paying him because he is that good,” Curran added.
Even though Garrett’s age (29) may not make him the ideal target for a Patriots team that is ideally competing two or three years down the road, Curran believes that even a early-30s Garrett would provide a greater impact in New England than whoever the team might take with that No. 4 pick.
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“I don’t know how they view the draft right now. I don’t know how they view this group in terms of what will immediately yield a fix,” Curran said. “I would move that pick because I don’t think you’re going to get a generational talent.
“I don’t think that generational talent really exists in every draft, just by the nature of the phrase, they’re not [there] all the time. This is a pedestrian draft. I’d give up four for a player like Garrett.”
It’s clear that a potent pass-rusher like Garrett would completely transform a Patriots’ defense that labored all season long when it came to pressuring opposing QBs.
The 2024 Patriots finished dead-last in the league with just 28 sacks on the season, and were also tied for the second-lowest mark in the league with just 0.7 takeaways per game.
Garrett was Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded edge defender in 2024, ranking third in the NFL pressures (83) and fourth in sacks (14.0). He’s been named a first-team All-Pro in four of the last five seasons — averaging 15.0 sacks over the last four years.
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