After Drew Lock threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns in a Giants win over the Colts, the New England Patriots moved into the number one overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. The early returns on Drake Maye have been positive, but they need help in multiple other spots.
I used nflmockdraftdatabase.com’s Mock Draft Simulator and ran through a seven-round mock draft as the New England Patriots. Like in my previous mock drafts, I tried to stick to the big board, and I wasn’t allowed to trade down or up in the draft order. Here’s how it turned out.
Round 1 – Travis Hunter, CB/WR – Colorado
Travis Hunter is the consensus best player in this draft. He’s going to play on both sides of the ball at the next level but with his 94th percentile Coverage grade, his primary position will most likely be cornerback. He has an 88th percentile AI Receiving grade and will be a weapon for Drake Maye in his sophomore season.
Round 2 – Jonah Savaiinaea, OL – Arizona
New England is currently allowing some of the highest pressure rates in the league and need to add to their offensive line. Jonah Savaiinaea has played guard, left tackle, and right tackle in college and he has an 88th percentile AI Passing Blocking grade. This pick came down to Savaiinaea and Alabama’s Tyler Booker. Savaiinaea’s versatility gave him the slight edge here.
Round 3 – L.T. Overton, ED – Alabama & Jordan Burch, DL – Oregon
The Pats need to add a run defending defensive edge player. Anfernee Jennings leads the group with a 59th percentile AI Run Defense grade and New England is currently 25th against the run in terms of yards per game. LT Overton and his 98th percentile AI Run Defense grade is exactly what they need to help fix that. The Patriots are also bottom three in sacks this season, so with the extra third round pick they acquired from Atlanta for the Matthew Judon trade, they continue to bolster their defensive line and add Oregon’s Jordan Burch and his 86th percentile AI Pass Rush grade.
Round 4 – Jalen Royals, WR – Utah State
The leading wide receiver for New England is DeMario Davis with just under 600 yards on the season. They need to add another real receiving threat for Drake Maye, even if we add in snaps for Travis Hunter. Jalen Royals was well on his way to back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons before he had a season-ending foot injury in the middle of the season. Royals had back-to-back AI Receiving grades in the 92nd percentile or better and can help here.
Round 5 – Sebastian Castro, S – Iowa
New England has Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers under contract next season, so safety isn’t a need for them. However, Iowa’s Sebastian Castro has a 94th percentile AI Coverage grade. Once you get this deep into the draft, it’s better to draft quality players over players for need.
Round 7 – Jacob Parrish, CB – Kansas State, Andrew Mukuba, S – Texas & Eli Stowers, TE – Vanderbilt
The Patriots picked up two extra seventh round picks for the 2025 NFL Draft. The first was for kicker Nick Folk, and the second is the same reason they don’t have a sixth-round pick – it was exchanged in a pick swap connected to the JC Jackson trade with the Chargers last season. With Jonathan Jones and Alex Austin hitting free agency, cornerback will be a need for New England. They still have Christian Gonzalez, but adding Kansas State’s Jacob Parrish and his 95th percentile AI Coverage grade will help add depth to that group.
We also attacked safety again, but Texas’ Andrew Mukuba’s 99th AI Coverage grade is just too good to pass up. He might not get too much playing time early on, but with Jabrill Peppers about to turn 30, he would be a good insurance/depth piece to have. Hunter Henry has been the best skill position player for Drake Maye and the Patriots offense this season, but the Patriots could use another tight end. Adding Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers and his 95th percentile AI Receiving grade would give Drake Maye another big target to throw to. Also, with Austin Hooper hitting free agency and the Patriots running 12 personnel third most in the league, adding another tight end feels necessary.
