As it stands, it seems like the Patriots will have the opportunity to draft one of the two best non-quarterbacks in the 2025 class at No. 4 overall.
But what if Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter both are off the board when New England goes on the clock?
That was a scenario The Athletic’s Chad Graff brought up in his latest mock draft released Tuesday. While Graff attached LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell to the Patriots at No. 4, the team insider believes New England would prefer to go in a different direction if neither of those aforementioned prospects were available.
“I think we can be confident in saying the Patriots would love to trade back if neither Abdul Carter nor Travis Hunter falls to No. 4 (which this mock draft assumes),” Graff wrote. “This is a draft class where prospects No. 4-12 all seem fairly interchangeable. That’s partly why it’ll be so difficult to find a trade partner.”
While it might not be overwhelmingly easy for the Patriots to find a trade at that juncture, draft-day desperation could help facilitate a move. Both Hunter and Carter going off the board before No. 4 would mean either Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders would be available when New England went on the clock, and a quarterback-needy team could feel compelled to move up to land one of the best in the class.
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That said, the first three teams in the draft order — Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants — all need to improve their QB situations. Thus, Ward and Sanders going off the board within the top three and the Patriots taking Hunter or Carter at No. 4 feels like a more probable scenario at this point.