To call 2025 a “rebuilding” year for the New England Patriots would be an understatement. It was six years ago today that the once-mighty NFL franchise defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII, winning its sixth championship in 18 seasons â an unprecedented era of dominance. But the Patriots have not won a playoff game since then, and have played only two. The Patriots have finished over .500 just once since the 12-4 2019 season and as they enter 2025 are coming off back-to-back 4-13 seasons, their worst two-year run since 1992 and 1993 when they won a combined seven games.
They fired their legendary head coach Bill Belichick, who had guided them to those six Super Bowl victories and nine Super Bowl appearances, replaced him with former Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo, then fired Mayo after a single season. Now, under newly hired head coach Mike Vrabel â another former New England linebacker but one with six years of NFL head coaching experience this time â the Patriots are looking to create a fast return to playoff, and even Super Bowl, contention.
To reach that goal, or even to achieve basic NFL relevance again, the Patriots will need more than a new head coach and star-studded coordinator staff. They will need players, better players than they have had for the past few years, and a lot of them. They got a good start last season with 2024 overall No. 3 pick Drake Maye, the former North Carolina quarterback who played well enough as a Patriots rookie to earn an alternate Pro Bowl bid.
Patriots Lose Out on ‘Generational Talent’ Edge Rusher
If a new mock draft by Fansided NFL draft expert Tarringo Basile-Vaughan proves accurate, the Patriots will be well aware of their need for more talent and plan to do something about it. In the latest mock draft posted February 1 on the Fansided NFL Mocks site, New England trades away its highly prized No. 4 overall pick, turning it into three lower picks, two this year and one in next year’s draft.
According to Basile-Vaughan, the Patriots will swing a deal with the Carolina Panthers, who finished at 5-12 to grab the No. 8 pick in the 2025 draft. With their newly acquired No. 4 pick, the Panthers select All-American Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.
“A generational talent coming off the edge, Carter will bring speed and power to the Panthersâ defense and give them a star player who will shine as one of the faces of the team,” Basile-Vaughan wrote, explaining the pick. “With a (Pro Football Focus) pass rush grade of 92.3, there is no doubt Carter will shine in the NFC South, especially coming off a season in which he recorded 13 sacks.”
But Carter, the Big Ten sacks leader, could also be a priority for the Patriots, whose pass rush was the worst in the league last season. Max Chadwick of Pro Football Focus mock-drafts Carter to New England at No. 4.
Top Offensive Lineman Falls to Patriots at No. 8
What do the Patriots get out of the trade? Arguably not enough for the valuable commodity they give up. In any case, in addition to the Panthers No. 8 overall pick, New England adds an additional second-round pick, at No. 57 overall, a pick that Carolina acquired from the Rams in a 2024 draft-day deal. The Patriots also pick up the Panthers’ 2026 fourth-rounder.
With that No. 8 selection, in the Fansided mock draft, the Patriots address what Chad Graff, Patriots writer for The Athletic, listed as their second-highest priority, though admittedly a very close second. The offensive line.
At No. 8 the Patriots take LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell. It was Campbell who NFL.com draft expert Daniel Jeremiah sees the Patriots picking at No. 4, in his own mock draft.
“The Patriots must help Drake Maye on the offensive line,” Jeremiah wrote. “I see Campbell as a safe, steady player who is still improving.”
But if New England can still get Campbell at No. 8 while also accruing an additional asset in the second round and another pick in next year’s draft, such a deal would be hard to resist.
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