2025 NFL mock draft roundup: Who experts have Patriots selecting month ahead of the draft
The Patriots hold the fourth overall pick in the draft, which could allow them to land one of the consensus top-two prospects.
The bulk of free agency is in the books, prompting all eyes in the football world to turn to the 2025 NFL Draft.
After spending the most money in free agency to this point, the Patriots are well-positioned to add notable talent in the draft as well. They hold the fourth overall pick and have a selection within the first six picks of each round. New England also has a second third-round pick and nine selections total in the 2025 draft
With the first round of the draft taking place on April 24, let’s see who experts have the Patriots selecting with their haul of picks following free agency.
NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah: Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter
Even after signing Stefon Diggs, the Patriots could use some wide receiver help. Jeremiah agrees with that notion.
“Bolstering the offensive line would seem to be the obvious move here for the Patriots, but it would be tough to pass up such a unique talent like Hunter,” Jeremiah wrote. “He would immediately be their most potent weapon for Drake Maye.”
Hunter made a name for himself by becoming a two-way star at Colorado, winning the Heisman due to his high level of production on both sides. In his evaluation of Hunter as a prospect, Jeremiah wrote that he thinks Hunter primarily focusing on defense while getting some spot snaps on offense would be the best way for him to continue playing both sides.
However, Jeremiah still thinks Hunter is a high-end wide receiver.
“He is constantly changing gears to keep cornerbacks off balance and he never wastes steps at the top of his route,” Jeremiah wrote in his evaluation of him in his big board. “He drops his weight and explodes out of the break. He has elite body control and hands. He can pluck balls well outside his frame with grace and ease. After the catch, he is silky smooth and elusive. He doesn’t have elite top speed, but he’s fast enough to not get caught.”
Hunter had 96 receptions for 1,258 yards along with 15 touchdowns last season, recording 475 yards per reception (4.9 average yards per reception). That elusiveness as a pass catcher helped him win the Bendarik Award on top of the Heisman as the nation’s top wide receiver.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.: Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter
Unlike Jeremiah, Kiper seems to believe that Hunter is strong as a wide receiver than cornerback as he also has the Patriots taking the two-way Colorado star in his most recent mock draft.
“While Hunter could absolutely play cornerback in the NFL, I have him ranked as a receiver, where he can pick apart opponents with his ball skills, quickness and instincts,” Kiper wrote. ” … I just really like the fit in the Patriots’ offense with quarterback Drake Maye.”
Kiper has Hunter as his No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, writing that he has “tremendous hand-eye coordination and elite ball skills” on both sides of the ball. Defensively, Hunter recorded four interceptions and only allowed one touchdown, surrendering just 23 receptions on 41 targets for 222 yards, per Pro Football Focus.
NFL.com Eric Edholm: Missouri OT Armand Membou
With Hunter and standout edge rusher Abdul Carter going in the top three picks of his mock draft, Edholm has the Patriots opting to fortify their offensive line instead.
“There’s a scenario where the Patriots could get Hunter, but I think they’d be comfortable settling for a promising tackle such as Membou,” Edholm wrote. “With Morgan Moses almost certainly locked in at right tackle, however, that likely means playing Membou at another spot.”
Membou was arguably one of the best offensive tackles in college football last season, being named second-team ALL-SEC. He was also one of the top athletes at the NFL Scouting Combine, earning a 94 athleticism score after running a 4.91 40 time.
The only question with Membou, though, is that he was a multi-year starter at right tackle and didn’t play on the left side at all during his college career. With Moses projected to be the Patriots’ right tackle, Membou could either back him up for a year or New England could try him out at a new position in this scenario, which would be a risk.
ESPN’s Matt Miller: Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter (Round 1); Oregon OT Josh Conerly (Round 2)
Like other analysts, Miller believes that the Patriots would have to select Hunter if he falls to them, writing that they would be “very lucky.” As for who the Patriots select in the second round of his seven-round mock draft, Miller has them getting much-needed offensive line help.
“Conerly was a running back in high school, so he still has room for growth and improvement,” Miller wrote. “But he was a top-flight Big Ten left tackle this past season and would fill a massive need for the Patriots. Conerly is still developing his lower-body strength, but his agility in pass protection and overall poise give him upside and help to project him as a solid left tackle in the future.”
Conerly was a first-team All-American at Oregon this past season. He notably slowed down Abdul Carter in Oregon’s victory over Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game. Starting at left tackle over the last two seasons, Conerly only allowed two sacks over 28 games, per PFF.
Yahoo Sports: Missouri OT Armand Membou
Even though Membou didn’t play left tackle in college, Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice and Charles McDonald think he’s worthy of a top-five pick.
“Surprise? It shouldn’t be that big of one, considering how many boxes Membou has checked off throughout the draft cycle,” Tice and McDonald wrote. “He has a legitimate case to be the first offensive tackle off the board. The Patriots need an OT still and Membou has the skills and talent to play either on the right or left side of the line.”
Membou has the prototypical size of an offensive tackle, measuring 6-foot-4 and 332 pounds at the combine. There aren’t issues with his arm length, either, as his arms were measured at 33.5 inches.
The production is there as well. Membou only allowed three sacks in his college career and didn’t give one up this past season, per PFF.
CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso: Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter
Unlike the majority of mock drafts, Trapasso didn’t have Carter going in the top three. As Carter has been viewed alongside Hunter as one of the top two players in the 2025 draft, Trapasso believes the Patriots drafting the Penn State star would be a no-doubter if he’s available.
“With Harold Landry and now Carter, the Patriots have two formidably, similarly sized outside speed rushers on the roster,” Traspasso wrote.
Carter’s pass-rushing skills have received high acclaim through the draft process, recording 12 sacks and 66 pressures in 16 games last season. But he was an off-ball linebacker for much of his first two years at Penn State, showing the ability to drop back in coverage.
The Patriots could certainly use him either way, finishing last in sacks last season.
Underdog’s Hayden Winks: LSU OT Will Campbell
With Hunter and Carter going in the top three of his mock draft, Winks has the Patriots selecting Campbell as he noted that there’s “no difference in projected talent from fourth overall to about 20th overall.
“There isn’t a no-doubter left tackle in this draft, but Campbell has the upside to make the most of his outlier low length at left tackle with the extremely high floor of being an athletic difference-making left guard if that project fails,” Winks wrote.
In terms of production, Campbell is arguably the best among the offensive linemen in this draft class. He was a three-year starter at left tackle for LSU, earning first-team All-American honors this past season. He also allowed just four sacks in his college career, per PFF.
However, there have been concerns with Campbell’s size. His arm length was measured at 32 5/8 inches at the combine, a mark that’s below the ideal threshold for an NFL left tackle.
Because of that, there have been questions over whether Campbell will play left tackle in the NFL. In his final draft with the Titans, Mike Vrabel’s squad took Northwestern offensive tackle Pete Skoronski with their first-round pick in 2023. He had similar concerns with his length and has played guard in the NFL.
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