Looking back at previous times the Patriots picked No. 4 in the NFL Draft
New England found success with previous choices at No. 4, with one unlucky exception.
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The Patriots hold the fourth overall pick heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, marking the fourth time in history that New England has entered draft night at that position.
Based on this draft pick number in past years, New England has largely come away with players that left a legacy with the franchise.
Here is what you need to know about the history of previous No. 4 selections.
Phil Olsen, 1970
After the Patriots ended with a 4-10 record in the 1969 season, the organization drafted Phil Olsen from Utah State in 1970. He was a part of the Patriots for one year but never touched the field. While practicing for the College All-Star game on July 31, 1970, Olsen partially tore his knee ligaments, forcing him to sit for his first season as a professional.
Following the season, Olsen’s option was declined by the Patriots, and he was declared a free agent where he eventually signed with the Los Angeles Rams. Due to Olsen’s departure, New England received compensation because of the Rozelle Rule, that allowed the NFL Commissioner, Pete Rozelle, to grant compensation from the team signing the free agent to the team that is losing the free agent. The Patriots received the Los Angeles Rams’ 1972 first-round pick and $35,000.
He played for the Rams until 1975 where he was traded to the Denver Broncos for the final two years of his career. Olsen played both sides of the line, including center and defensive tackle.
After retiring from the NFL, Olsen was recognized with different awards. In 2000, Sports Illustrated named him as one of the Utah’s “Top 50 Athletes in the Century.”
John Hannah, 1973
John Hannah was drafted in 1973 as a guard for New England. The University of Alabama lineman played his entire professional career in a Patriots uniform, from 1973 to 1986.
Of the 191 games that he was a part of the organization, Hannah missed five games due to injury and three more games because of contract disagreements in 1977.
He started every game he played. Hannah was credited with helping New England rush for the then-record of 3,165 yards in 1978.
Although he never won a Super Bowl ring, he assisted the team when they won the AFC Championship and appeared in Super Bowl XXX during the 1985 season. He retired at the end of that season.
Hannah was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was also the initial member of the Patriots’ Hall of Fame in 1991. He was also inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999 for his time at Alabama.
He was named “The Greatest Offensive Lineman of All Time” by Sports Illustrated on Aug. 3, 1981. He was one of the two Patriots who were voted to join the NFL’s 75th anniversary team in 1994.
Willie McGinest, 1994
The defensive end/linebacker was drafted by the Patriots in 1994 out of the University of Southern California, and played with New England until 2005.
After being released from New England, he then played on the Cleveland Browns from 2006 to 2008.
With the Patriots, he earned three Super Bowl rings in the 2001, 2003 and 2004 seasons. He also earned All-Pro honors in 1996 and 2003. He was inducted in the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2015.
In his career, McGinest played 212 games where he earned 86 sacks – in which he ranks third in Patriots’ team history – and had five interceptions.
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