When you’re a fan of a team that won’t reach the playoffs, the next best thing is landing a top pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Despite a Week 10 win, the 3-7 New England Patriots’ hopes of reaching the postseason are practically nonexistent. However, their chances of landing a top-ten pick for the second year in a row look much better.
If the Patriots’ season ended today, they’d be selecting sixth in the 2025 NFL Draft. Which, according to one local Patriots insider, landing outside of the top-five might not be the worst thing in the world, even for a team that otherwise seems like it should be tanking to acquire more talent.
Related: Top 2024 NFL Rookie of the Year candidates: Where does Drake Maye rank?
Albert Breer warns New England Patriots fans about lackluster draft class
The New England Patriots already have their franchise quarterback with Drake Maye. Now it’s time to surround him with more blue-chip prospects capable of becoming superstars. Two particular areas of weakness involve addressing the offensive line plus getting Maye a reliable playmaker at the receiver position. These are two needs that the Patriots will likely address during the offseason, but if they want young solutions with high upside, their best option is adding talent through the draft.
However, one NFL insider, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, suggests the very top of the 2025 NFL Draft isn’t as strong as we’ve seen in recent years.
It’s not just the QBs either …
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 12, 2024
• LSU OT Will Campbell might be a guard.
• Texas OT Kelvin Banks struggled vs. UGa.
• Is Colorado’s Travis Hunter a CB or WR?
• Where does Georgia OLB Jalon Walker fit?
• Is Penn State’s Abdul Carter big enough?
And so on and so forth. https://t.co/UnVswBG3A5
Usually, there’s a top quarterback for whom it is worth trading a massive bounty of draft picks. Not this year, or at least one hasn’t emerged yet. For the Patriots, that could put them at a disadvantage if the draft board doesn’t fall their way.
This means New England must work overtime, drilling down their scouting process to ensure they players they do take are the right ones who can help transform what was once a great franchise capable of winning a Super Bowl every year.