2025 Mock Draft 1.0: Patriots give Maye the piece he desperately needs

2025 Mock Draft 1.0: Patriots give Maye the piece he desperately needs originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Titans lobbed the first bit of NFL Draft intel (or misinformation) into the ether Wednesday when they made it clear they wouldn’t pass on a “generational talent” with the first overall pick in the spring.

For those who’ve mocked quarterbacks to Tennessee for weeks, that changes things. There are no “generational” quarterbacks in this class, it seems. Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders could slide a tad, then.

And if Patriots fans are following that logic… They aren’t happy. Not only did they lose the opportunity at the No. 1 overall pick by beating the Bills in the season finale, but now they may not be able to snag one of the two blue-chip players at the top of the draft.

Let’s see how this all plays out with our first NFL Mock Draft of the offseason…

1. Tennessee Titans: Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado

A generational talent goes to the team hoping for exactly that. The question is, where will Hunter’s talents be focused primarily: cornerback or wide receiver?

2. Cleveland Browns: Abdul Carter, OLB, Penn State

The Browns are an analytically-driven organization that now knows better than any other franchise how disastrous is can be to force things at quarterback. They go for the best pass-rusher in the draft instead.

3. New York Giants: Cam Ward, QB, Miami

The first quarterback off the board is the more physically-gifted of the consensus top-two in the class. Head coach Brian Daboll has to hope this is the player who’ll get him to 2026 in the same role.

4. New England Patriots: Will Campbell, OT, LSU

The Patriots may shop this pick until the cows come home. But if other clubs call their bluff in terms of trade compensation, Mike Vrabel may have to stick to his guns, stick at No. 4 overall, and take the best lineman on the board.

There will be some debate as to whether or not Campbell is the best tackle in the class. Some will have him as better suited to play guard because of length concerns. But he’s smart and tough, and the 6-foot-6, 323-pounder was presented the prestigious No. 7 at LSU the last two seasons as the team’s top playmaker.

The Patriots should try to get their tackle problem solved in free agency, but that’s easier said than done. Getting their favorite lineman in the draft is a nice consolation prize.

Not only will he help keep Drake Maye protected in the pocket, but he should help allow Maye to have a few “breather” plays by augmenting the Patriots running game.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Mason Graham, DT, Michigan

Blue-chippers are hard to come by in this draft class, but Graham looks like one. He’s the consensus best interior defensive lineman in a class filled with them.

6. Las Vegas Raiders: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

Sanders might not be the best passer in the class, but he won’t slide for long in a quarterback-needy league.

7. New York Jets: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona

Davante Adams could be out, and Garrett Wilson is going into a contract year. Without an obvious choice at quarterback available, getting a playmaker on the outside here makes sense.

8. Carolina Panthers: Jalon Walker, ED, Georgia

The Panthers remain in a place where simply compiling talented players at premium positions is smart business. Walker is one of the most talented front-seven types in this class.

9. New Orleans Saints: Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri

Would New Orleans ever go quarterback here? We have one more going in the first round. Instead, they go for a dynamic offensive weapon.

10: Chicago Bears: Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State

Ben Johnson knows that part of the reason he experienced so much success in Detroit was because of his offensive line. Time to build one in Chicago.

11: San Francisco 49ers: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas

San Francisco needs to keep building through the trenches to get back to where they feel they belong. Trent Williams remains a freak, but he won’t play forever.

12. Dallas Cowboys: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Cowboys

Dallas-area kid ends up with his hometown team, giving the Cowboys the most talented back in the class. He’ll be breaking tackles for a long time and at times reminding people of Emmitt Smith along the way.

13. Miami Dolphins: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia

Javon Holland is going to be one of the best free agents on the market this offseason. If a big deal awaits him elsewhere, Starks is an excellent fill-in.

14. Indianapolis Colts: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan

This may be too low for Johnson, whose 2024 was cut short due to injury. The Colts are the beneficiaries, needing real help in the secondary.

15. Atlanta Falcons: James Pearce Jr., ED, Tennessee

Another year. Another push for the Falcons to address their pass-rush situation. Pearce is a freaky mover but likely a third-down specialist.

16. Arizona Cardinals: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State

Arizona was near the top of the league in terms of its efficiency metrics out of multiple-tight end sets. Adding Warren to Trey McBride could cause opposing defenses real issues.

17. Cincinnati Bengals: Mykel Williams, ED, Georgia

If the Bengals need all the help they can get on the defensive side of the ball, and adding Williams would go a long way in helping them what ails them up front. He has the size (6-foot-5, 265 pounds) to stuff the run and the athleticism to grow into a fearsome pass-rusher.

18. Seattle Seahawks: Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon

Adding a former five-star talent at tackle, after a sparkling 2024 season for the Ducks, should help give the Seahawks what they need in an NFC West that looks like it’s there for the taking.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Shemar Stewart, DL, Texas A&M

Tampa Bay needs help all across its defense, and while they’ve invested in defensive linemen in the recent past, Stewart’s talent is too much to pass on in Round 1.

20. Denver Broncos: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State

This offseason should be all about giving Bo Nix the help he needs in order to elevate his game in his second year. Egbuka isn’t going to light up the scoreboard with explosives, but he looks like he could be a security-blanket of sorts for Nix for years to come.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame

Joey Porter Jr. seems to have one side of the field claimed at the cornerback spot in Pittsburgh. But he needs help on the opposite side of the field. Morrison finished the 2024 season hurt but has the talent to be an immediate starter.

22. Los Angeles Chargers: Derrick Harmon, DL, Oregon

Jim Harbaugh’s club was near the bottom of the league (27th to be exact) in yards allowed per carry last season. Harmon will generate pressure as a pass-rusher, but he has the skill set to handle doubles on early downs.

23. Green Bay Packers: Armand Membou, OT, Missouri

The Packers are in an interesting spot at the tackle position in that their starters at both right and left tackle (Zach Tom and Rasheed Walker) are headed into contract years after being taken outside the first round in the 2022 draft. To give themselves a little insurance there, they go with Membou, who has the athleticism and nasty streak to become a fan favorite in Green Bay.

24. Minnesota Vikings: Tyler Booker, OL, Alabama

Sam Darnold looked like a shaken man as he dropped back under constant pressure in the Wild Card Round. Booker should handle a starting role in Minnesota for a team that probably needs more than one new starter along the offensive line this offseason.

25. Houston Texans: Donovan Jackson, OL, Ohio State

Another team that wants to contend. Another team with offensive line issues. Jackson was one of the key players for the National Champs in that he bumped from guard out to left tackle when Simmons hurt his knee in October. Jackson’s ability to provide high-end results at multiple spots could have Nick Caserio salivating.

26. Los Angeles Rams: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan

Sean McVay has proven in the past that he likes the unpredictability that two-tight end groupings provide. Saddle Loveland alongside Tyler Higbee, and you could help make up for some of the production that might be lost if Cooper Kupp ends up moving on.

27. Baltimore Ravens: Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota

Ronnie Stanley is set to hit free agency, and maybe he won’t leave. But he’s about to be 32 years old, and there are only so many big-bodied tackles at this point in the draft who look like they’d fit Baltimore’s preferred profile. Ersery, at 6-foot-6, 330 pounds, is one of them.

28. Detroit Lions: Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama

The Lions may be trying to win now, but if they’re going to win at the highest level, they need more at quarterback. Milroe would be a roll of the dice, but if he can be their version of Jalen Hurts, he could provide Detroit with the kind of smash-mouth-at-all-positions style that has carried the Eagles, which the Lions would love to deploy under Dan Campbell.

29. Washington Commanders: Mike Green, ED, Marshall

Adam Peters is going to be looking to upgrade at premium positions early in the draft, and in Green he’ll add a physically-gifted pass-rusher who could develop into the organization’s top player in that role.

30. Buffalo Bills: Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State

Buffalo was squarely in the middle of the pack in terms of run defense this season, but Williams would go a long way in freeing up Bills linebackers to roam the field and make plays moving toward the line of scrimmage. He may be the best space-eating defensive tackle in the class.

31. Philadelphia Eagles: J.T. Tuimoloau, ED, Ohio State

Philadelphia could lose Josh Sweat via free agency, and for Howie Roseman there is real value in being able to cycle through pass-rushers to keep them fresh late in games. Tuimoloau isn’t the freakish athlete that Sweat was coming out of Florida State a few years ago, but he’s an NFL-ready body at the position who plays with relentless effort.

32. Kansas City Chiefs: Cameron Williams, OT, Texas

Kansas City has been fortunate that Joe Thuney has been able to kick out to left tackle and give them more-than-serviceable play there. But if they want to solve their offensive line issues, they’ll need to continue to invest in the draft. Williams has been the right tackle opposite Banks for the Longhorns, but he has enough in the way of physical talent that the Chiefs could try him at either spot and see if it works.