New England Patriots

Here’s what to know about Patriots’ Day 3 picks in 2025 NFL Draft

The Patriots made seven picks over the final four rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft.

The New England Patriots introduced four free agents they signed at a Gillette Stadium press conference.Patriots Eliot Wolf speaks.
The Patriots have six picks during Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

The Patriot placed a premium on offense over the first two days of the 2025 NFL Draft — selecting LSU left tackle Will Campbell (No. 4 overall), Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson (No. 38 overall), Washington State wide receiver Kyle Williams (No. 69 overall) and Georgia center Jared Wilson (No. 95 overall). 

But New England still has a significant haul of draft picks on hand to further bolster their roster during the final day of the draft on Sunday.

“Pretty excited about the players that we were able to add to the team starting [Thursday] night and continuing on [Friday],” executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said at Gillette Stadium. We obviously helped the offense out, and as we move forward here, [we’re] certainly going to look to address the defense.

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“We were able to add a couple of picks,” Wolf continued. “That’s just kind of the way the board was dictated to us. The way it was stacked. We feel fortunate about that. And then, the way the board is holding up right now, there’s still some players that we feel can help us moving forward.”

After making an additional seven picks on the final day of the 2025 NFL Draft, here is New England’s full 2025 Draft class:

Round 1, No. 4: OT Will Campbell
Round 2, No 38: RB TreVeyon Henderson
Round 3, No 69: WR Kyle Williams
Round 3, No. 95: C Jared Wilson
Round 4, No. 106: S Craig Woodson
Round 4, No. 137: DT Joshua Farmer
Round 5, No. 146: Edge Bradyn Swinson
Round 6, No. 181: K Andres Borregales
Round 7, No. 220: OT Marcus Bryant
Round 7, No. 251: LS Julian Ashby
Round 7, No. 257: CB Kobee Minor

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Here’s a quick summary of some of New England’s Day 3 selections.

Fourth round (No. 106 overall): S Craig Woodson, Cal

As expected, the Patriots pivoted to defense with their fourth-round selection — taking safety Craig Woodson out of Cal. 

The 6-foot-0 defensive back spent six years at Cal, and was a three-year starter with the Golden Bears. The 24-year-old safety has tested well at the NFL Scouting Combine — as his 40-yard dash time of 4.45 seconds was tied for the fifth-fastest time among all participating safeties.

Over his tenure at Cal, Woodson recorded 5 interceptions, 9 tackles for loss, 21 pass breakups, and 245 tackles.

New England does have some safeties in place on their roster in Jabrill Peppers, Kyle Dugger, Dell Pettus, Jaylinn Hawkins, and Marte Mapu. But Woodson does project as an effective coverage safety who can use his speed to close in on wideouts and break up passes.

As noted by NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry, there were 123 safeties with at least 90 coverage snaps in the slot last season in college football. Woodson ranked seventh in QB rating allowed (49.6) in that group — allowing just nine catches on 15 targets with one interception. 

“Whether playing down or on the backend, Woodson shows terrific recognition of run-pass development to smartly put himself in positions to make plays,” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler said. “He is at his best in short zones or split-safety alignments, where he can maintain spacing and drive on the football. 

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“Overall, Woodson doesn’t have dominant size or traits that make him jump of the film, but he is good enough in most critical categories NFL teams want at the safety position. He will be ready from day one to compete for a depth role.”

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Woodson stressed that he’s at his best when he’s doling out some heavy hits.

“When I first started playing football – like, just running up, hitting somebody, smacking them, getting them on the ground, like that’s everything that I’ve loved since [being] a kid,” Woodson said.

“So just coming into college and being physical as well, coming from Texas as well — like, we play physical football down in Texas. So bringing that to college at Cal — I mean, it was great, and I think that for me, that’s really the thrill of the game. Just running and hitting, that’s what I love. Running and hitting.

“So I’m gonna love bringing that to New England, and I know there’s guys there who are gonna be on the same page.”

Fourth round (No. 137 overall): DT Joshua Farmer, Florida State

The Patriots used some of their draft capital to move up in the leaderboard — dealing both a fifth-round pick (No. 144 overall) and a seventh-round pick (No. 238 overall) to Seattle to secure a fourth-round selection at No. 137.

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And with that fourth-rounder, New England scooped up one of the top defensive tackle prospects left on the board in Florida State’s Joshua Farmer.

A run-stopping defensive tackle, Farmer was tabbed as the No. 76 prospect in this draft class by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.

“Farmer is a burly, power-packed lineman who can deliver pop at contact and get himself free with his active hands and short-area quickness,” Brugler said of Farmer. “He can muddy things up in the run game, although his base strength shows cracks when he loses leverage, and his block recognition must continue to develop.

“Overall, Farmer goes through too many quiet stretches on film, but he is a force creator with his natural power as a two-gapper and promising pass-rush tools. He should step into a rotation as a rookie and has the potential of a full-time starter.”

Even with his high draft projection, Farmer admitted on Saturday that he is arriving in Foxborough with a chip on his shoulder.

“I think there was 17 defensive tackles taken ahead of me. Everybody in the world knows that’s not how it was supposed to go,” Farmer said. “I’m just going to have to get there and prove everybody wrong and just be the best me every day. I wouldn’t want it to go any other way. I’m blessed.”

The 6-foot-3, 305-pound Farmer was a productive playmaker at the line of scrimmage for Florida State — with the two-year starter recording 80 total tackles (21 tackles for loss) to go along with 11 sacks at Tallahassee.

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While he will need some seasoning at the NFL level, Farmer has an athletic, wiry frame (35-inch arm length, 83 3/8 inch wingspan) and could eventually settle into a role as a dependable defensive tackle behind Milton Williams and Christian Barmore on the depth chart.

Fifth round (No. 146 overall): Edge Bradyn Swinson, LSU

With their next pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Patriots targeted an edge rusher in LSU’s Bradyn Swinson. 

A one-year starter at LSU after transferring over from Oregon, the 6-foot-4 defensive end led the Tigers in tackles for loss (13), sacks (8.5) and pressures (59) — with the latter standing as the fifth-most in FBS. 

Swinson shared to reporters that he has a knack for bringing a football with him wherever he goes — including trips to the supermarket.

“I got it from Jayden Daniels. He used to carry his dream everywhere, so you always want to carry your dream everywhere. I started doing it my last year at LSU, carrying it around with me,” Swinson said. “I go to the grocery store. I go to the mall. I go anywhere and just have the ball with me. I keep the ball close. The ball is the program.”

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler tabbed Swinson as his No. 100 prospect and a projected third-round pick entering this draft. 

“With his edge speed and flexibility, Swinson can threaten the corner,” Brugler wrote. “He flashes pop in his hands but will get stuck at the top of his rush too often, and his sequencing needs continued development. 

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“He is very cognizant of his role in the run fit, but he will be covered up versus power and does his best work when lined up against tight ends. Overall, Swinson is a green high-side rusher with the athletic tools to threaten the edge and chase down the football. It might be tough for him to sustain three-down responsibilities until he can set a more firm edge, though. He is best suited for a stand-up reserve role on passing downs in a 3-4 scheme.”

Even if Swinson might be more of a developmental project in New England, he could carve out an immediate role on the Patriots’ defense as a situational pass rusher given his high motor — and should slot behind other pass-rushers like Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson on the depth chart. 

Beyond talking up his own game, Swinson also doled out plenty of praise for his LSU teammate (and now Patriots teammate) Will Campbell.

“Expect a guy that ain’t going to let his quarterback get touched, for sure,” Swinson said. “That’s a blue collar guy, you know? Just head down, working. Everything Will [does] is about work. Hard work.

“That’s a guy that’s going to do everything right. You can tell by his voice he’s going to be a 10-year vet. He’s got one of them 15-year player voices already. He’s just one of those guys that’s just going to keep his head down and work. Just handles his business.”

Sixth round (No. 182 overall): K Andres Borregales, Miami

The Patriots made another trade to accumulate draft capital — dealing the 171st pick to the Lions in exchange for both the 182nd and 228th picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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And with their new sixth-round pick, New England selected one of the top-ranked kickers in this draft class in Miami’s Andres Borregales.

A four-year starter with the Hurricanes, Borregales connected on 18 of his 19 field-goal attempts during the 2024 season — while also going a perfect 62-for-62 on PATs. Borregales has a strong leg, as he connected on six field goals over 50+ yards during his collegiate career. He also booted a 65-yard field goal during Miami’s Pro Day. 

With John Parker Romo standing as the only other kicker on New England’s roster entering Saturday, using a draft pick on a top kicker made plenty of sense for the Patriots — with Borregales now expected to compete with Romo for starting reps during training camp. 

While New England’s two-decade dynasty was anchored by a pair of kickers in Adam Vinatieri and Stephen Gostkowski, the Patriots haven’t had much luck in the draft in recent years with kickers. 

Borregales is the third kicker drafted by the Patriots since losing Gostkowski after the 2019 season — joining Justin Rohrwasser in 2020 and Chad Ryland in 2023. 

Speaking to reporters, Borregales said that he was a fan of Vinatieri during his tenure in New England.

“I’m excited. All my life, I looked up to Adam Vinatieri”, Borregales said. (He’s) a legend, honestly, and especially all of those kicks in the snow, all of those clutch kicks in the snow.”

“I feel like the Patriots have, honestly, a good line of legendary kickers,” he added. “I’m excited to one day be a part of that conversation, and contribute to this organization.”

Seventh round (No. 220 overall): LT Marcus Bryant, Missouri 

With their first seventh-round selection on Saturday, the Patriots further bolstered their offensive line by taking Missouri left tackle Marcus Bryant. 

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Bryant is an imposing figure at 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds with a 34 5/8-inch arm length. He was a four-year starter at SMU before closing out his collegiate career at Missouri — ultimately appearing in 55 career games (42 starts) between both programs. 

Similar to both Will Campbell and Jared Wilson, Bryant tested well at the NFL Combine — completing his 40-yard dash with a time of 4.97. That athleticism and size made him the type of player worth taking a seventh-round flier on, with Bryant expected to compete in camp for New England’s backup left-tackle spot. 

Seventh round (No. 251 overall): LS Julian Ashby, Vanderbilt

After trading down yet again, New England used another seventh-round pick to select a new long snapper in Vanderbilt’s Julian Ashby. 

The Patriots seem to be in the process of overhauling their core special-teams unit, especially after also allocating a sixth-round pick on a kicker in Borregales. 

Ashby stands as the first long snapper drafted since 2021 — with the former Commodore expected to compete with 11-year Patriots veteran Joe Cardona for the team’s starting long-snapper role in 2025 and beyond. 

Cardona — who has won two Super Bowls in New England and first started playing in Foxborough in 2015 — has two years left on his current deal with the Patriots. 

“Undersized but highly accurate snapper with good operation quickness in getting the ball to his punter,” NFL Draft expert Lance Zierlein said of Ashby, per 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Alex Barth. “Ashby appears to be the best long snapper in the draft class, but he might have to make an NFL roster as an undrafted free agent.”

Seventh round (No. 257 overall): CB Kobee Minor, Memphis 

With the final pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Patriots selected cornerback Kobee Minor out of the University of Memphis.

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Despite the label of “Mr. Irrelevant” that falls upon the last pick an NFL Draft, Minor was a productive defensive back for the Tigers in 2024 — recording 38 tackles, two forced fumbles, and six pass breakups. 

The 5-foot-11 cornerback also had previously played for both Indiana and Texas Tech before closing out his collegiate career at Memphis. 

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