The New England Patriots take the fast track back to NFL relevance after back-to-back 4-13 seasons when they pull of a pair of blockbuster, first-round trades â in a new seven-round mock draft by the USA Today Patriots site, Patriotswire. According to Patriotswire draft expert Jordy McElroy, the Patriots would “create chaos” in the draft, shaking up the first round while addressing two of the team’s most vital roster needs.
“The New England Patriots are expected to be one of the more aggressive teams in free agency and the 2025 NFL draft. They need to address multiple areas of need, and Drake Mayeâs surprisingly fast emergence as a franchise quarterback has sped up the clock for the front office,” McElroy wrote in his introduction to the new mock draft. “One incredible offseason could turn the Patriots back into a perennial contender.”
Patriots Dynasty Ended With 2018 Season
The Patriots, of course, put together an unprecedented run of dominance in the first two decades of the 21st century, starting with a surprising Super Bowl victory over the then-St. Louis Rams to cap off the 2001 season, their first with a 24-year-old sixth-round draft pick from a year earlier named Tom Brady quarterbacking the team.
The Patriots dynasty effectively ended with the 2018 season when a 41-year-old Brady led the team to a an 11-5 record and capped it off with his, and the team’s, sixth Super Bowl ring. They defeated the Rams once again in NFL’s championship game but by that time it was a Los Angeles Rams team across from Brady and head coach Bill Belichick.
Brady played one more season in New England and led the Patriots to a 12-4 season â but New England lost three of its last five regular season games and made a quick playoff exit, falling to the Tennessee Titans in the Wild Card round.
While establishing another historic dynasty is probably out of reach, the team could at least become competitive by addressing several gaping holes in their roster. One of those holes is the pass rush. The Patriots simply could not contain opposing quarterbacks in 2024, placing dead last in sacks and sack percentage. In fact, Patriots rushers tackled opposing players behind the line of scrimmage just 62 times all last season.
Giving up No. 4 Pick, Patriots Fix Broken Pass Rush
When the Cleveland Browns’ edge rusher Myles Garrett, coming off his fourth first-team All-Pro season in the past five years, announced on Monday that he was requesting a trade out of Cleveland, a solution to the Patriots’ pass rush problem suddenly presented itself.
In the Patriotswire mock draft, New England, which now holds the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, sends that pick to Cleveland in a straight-up swap for Garrett.
“Garrett is an elite playmaker at a premium position, but he is also 29 years old with two years on his existing contract,” wrote McElroy, explaining the mock draft trade. “Getting the No. 4 overall pick from the Patriots would ensure the Browns have two picks in the top-four to restock their roster with at least two high-end draft prospects.”
Cleveland also owns the second overall pick in the draft.
In a second trade, according to the Patriotswire mock draft, New England attempts to patch up their woeful offensive line, which allowed Patriots quarterbacks to be sacked 52 times, sixth most in franchise history and most for the team since 1999 when the Patriots O-line gave up 56 sacks, victimizing regular QB Drew Bledsoe 55 times.
In McElroy’s mock draft, the Patriots trade back into the first round, to No. 25, sending the Houston Texans their second round pick at No. 38, and a No. 77 third-rounder in return.
Using the No. 25 pick, in this mock draft, the Patriots take Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons.
“It is unlikely Simmons will slide too far down the draft board, even after a season-ending knee injury,” wrote McElroy, explaining why the Patriots would surrender two draft picks to get one. “This isnât a deep draft at the tackle position, and other teams will be looking to pounce on a high-upside blocker like the former Buckeye.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Myles Garrett to Patriots, Browns Get No. 4 Pick in Blockbuster Mock Draft Trade appeared first on Heavy Sports.