The new NFL season is upon us. Teams have already started addressing different roster areas through the free agency window.
However, for teams that still need to strengthen, the 2025 NFL Draft is another outlet to do so, especially for the New England Patriots.
New England headed into the offseason with a glaring hole for a No. 1 wide receiver, and several players were available on the market. Ultimately, nothing worked in New England's favor.
Top target Chris Godwin re-signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Davante Adams is heading to the Los Angeles Rams, the Cincinnati Bengals used the franchise tag - again - on Tee Higgins, and the Seattle Seahawks traded DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Other targets like DeAndre Hopkins and Mike Williams also went to other teams.
But the Patriots still hope to land a star wideout in the draft, and ESPN predicts this will create a domino effect.
The sports outlet's experts, Matt Miller and Jordan Reid claim the six-time Super Bowl-winning franchise will use its No. 4 overall pick on a wide receiver. However, the Patriots aren't the only team in need of one.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, and New Orleans Saints follow after the Patriots in the order and are also predicted to draft a receiver before missing out on a highly-rated one in the second round.
Should New England draft a wide receiver, Missouri's Luther Burden III, Texas' Matthew Golden, and Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan are widely regarded as the best wideouts in the draft.
The mentioned players have shown promising signs of success in the NFL and will almost certainly be the No. 1 receiver for Drake Maye in 2025.
Related: Patriots Projected to Trade With Raiders, Paving Way for Major Selection
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This story was originally published March 16, 2025 at 11:30 AM.