The Patriots accomplished what they set out to do going into the 2025 NFL Draft: They aggressively provided their young quarterback some high-end talent to join his offensive huddle.
It started with LSU left tackle Will Campbell on Day 1. Then it continued into Day 2, with the additions of a pass-catching running back in Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson, an explosive wideout in Washington State’s Kyle Williams and a freaky athlete on the interior of the offensive line in Georgia’s Jared Wilson.
But New England’s sage navigation of the draft didn’t stop there. The Patriots added value picks on Day 3 on the defensive side, including selections of players making perceived “falls” down the board in Florida State defensive tackle Joshua Farmer in the fourth round and LSU edge defender Bradyn Swinson in the fifth.
Sprinkle in a couple of specialists late in Miami kicker Andres Borregales and Vanderbilt long-snapper Julian Ashby, and you could make a real argument for nine or 10 players from the team’s 11-man draft class making the roster in September.
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That’s a massive figure. But it speaks to A) the job done by Mike Vrabel’s staff, and B) the number of jobs that were up for grabs headed into draft weekend.
We graded every pick on NBCSportsBoston.com, and after taking it all in, the overall grade for the Patriots lands at an A-.
That honor-roll-worthy performance in the “war room” at One Patriot Place won’t mean much if these players don’t end up contributing in ways they’re believed to be able to. But from what we know of these picks, at this point, it looks like the kind of haul that could help them get them back to contending for a playoff spot in short order.
With that, let’s take a ridiculously-early look at what could be the team’s initial 53-man roster (rookies are denoted with an asterisk):
No need to overthink it here. The Patriots shipped Joe Milton III off to Dallas, leaving Drake Maye and Josh Dobbs to handle the room.
Undrafted rookie Ben Wooldridge out of Louisiana was signed and will be a practice-squad option.
Two rookie pass-catchers end up making the team here in order to complement Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. TreVeyon Henderson is going to be a menace to opposing defenses from Day 1 as a dangerous receiving option and a violent pass-protector.
Lan Larison, an undrafted rookie from UC Davis, has excellent hands and good enough size to warrant a role that would likely start out as special-teams specific.
Tom Curran and Phil Perry share their instant reactions to the Patriots drafting RB TreVeyon Henderson in the second round of the NFL Draft
It’s unclear at this point whether or not Stefon Diggs will be ready to go for Week 1, but we’ll include him here since he seems to be making real progress this offseason.
Kendrick Bourne is back for another season in this scenario, rejoining offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Ja’Lynn Polk remains, but fellow 2024 draft pick Javon Baker does not.
Efton Chism III from Eastern Washington projects as a true slot, and he could earn a real role inside in this offense if he shows McDaniels he can mix it up as a blocker.
Another undrafted rookie — the third in this projection — lands a roster spot here. Brock Lampe, a fullback out of Northern Illinois, has the benefit of playing a position that McDaniels likes to have manned once the regular season rolls around.
Giovanni Ricci could be that guy for McDaniels, but we’ll roll with Lampe for now.
Even if he’s the long-term option at center, rookie third-rounder Jared Wilson should get an opportunity to play guard as a rookie while Garrett Bradbury holds down the middle of the line for 2025. Caedan Wallace would function as the swing tackle here if he can beat out veteran Vederian Lowe and rookie Marcus Bryant.
Perhaps there will be just one spot for Layden Robinson (who can play left and right guard), Cole Strange (who has played guard and trained at center) and Wes Schweitzer (who can play all three interior spots), but in this projection, the Patriots load up on reserves to make sure they’re covered in case of injury.
Former NFL QB Brian Hoyer explains how Drake Maye’s growth and improvement in his second season will help new LT Will Campbell succeed.
Drafting a long-snapper typically means that player is going to make the roster. Therefore, Joe Cardona could be the latest Patriots captain to be on the move.
Andres Borregales is expected to win the kicker job over John Parker Romo. The Patriots gained an appreciation for the rookie’s leg strength and never-too-high-never-too-low demeanor prior to the draft.
One of the better value picks of draft weekend for Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf was Florida State defensive tackle Joshua Farmer in the fourth round. He plays like a bull in a China shop.
His length (35-inch arms) and play style should provide a disruptive complement to Milton Williams and Christian Barmore.
Highlights from the Patriots
Bradyn Swinson might’ve been the best value pick for the Patriots in the third round. Coming out of LSU, the fifth-round selection impressed evaluators with his length and athleticism off the edge.
He may not be ready for early-down duties yet, but Swinson’s physical traits will allow him to compete with K’Lavon Chaisson as a sub rusher for Vrabel.
No surprises here. Jahlani Tavai still has guaranteed money left on his deal, and his versatility should suit the scheme of Vrabel and new defensive coordinator Terrell Williams.
The top three here look set, with Marcus Jones taking over as the full-time slot following Jonathan Jones’ departure via free agency.
Kobee Minor was a seventh-round pick out of Memphis who transferred twice (Texas Tech, Indiana) and impressed Patriots scouts with his tools in practice. He’s a practice-squad option in this projection.
Fourth-rounder Craig Woodson is our ninth draft pick from the 2025 class makes the team here. That’s a whopping total. But it makes sense given the state of the roster a week ago.
Woodson is the kind of versatile safety Vrabel loved to use in Tennessee, and his coverage work in the slot could be particularly beneficial to the club (49.6 quarterback rating allowed when targeted in the slot last season).
Among 123 safeties with at least 90 coverage snaps in the slot last season, Woodson was 7th in QB rating allowed (49.6), per @PFF.* 15 targets* 9 receptions, 91 yards
* 1 interception https://t.co/nrtOlPsJAL
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) April 26, 2025
