NFL Draft Expert Reveals Best Patriots First Pick

An NFL Draft expert has spoken out about what the New England Patriots should do in the 2025 draft.

Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr. (78) against the Clemson Tigers during the CFP National playoff first round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots officially know where they will be picking in the 2025 NFL Draft.

After beating the Buffalo Bills to end the season in Week 18, the Patriots dropped from the No. 1 overall pick to No. 4. That is where they will be on the clock in the first round.

Now, the question becomes, who should New England be targeting with that selection?

Many would love to see the Patriots find a way to bring in Travis Hunter to give Drake Maye a legitimate star target for years to come. However, there are other needs that the team could focus on as well.

According to ESPN NFL Draft expert Matt Miller, there is one player that New England should target. He thinks that Texas Longhorns' offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. would be the right pick.

"The smart move is to identify the player who can best help Maye. That decision likely comes down to a wide receiver like Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan or Texas left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr.," Miller wrote.

"Now that the Patriots have been knocked out of the No. 1 pick, addressing offensive deficiencies in Round 1 is the play. Several teams have been in a similar position — most recently the Cincinnati Bengals when deciding between Penei Sewell and Ja'Marr Chase in the 2021 draft — and there's a league-wide debate on how to best build a team. That said, good wide receivers can be found in Round 2. Premier left tackles are much harder to find. Banks should be the pick."

Standing in at 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, Banks has been highly touted as the best offensive lineman in the 2025 draft class. The Patriots badly needed offensive line help during the 2024 season.

Granted, it wouldn't be the "flashy" pick that would help Maye, but adding to the offensive line would be a huge step in the right direction around the young franchise quarterback.

Banks has legitimate star potential, but there are some concerns about him as well. The worst possible outcome of the draft would be that New England drafts a lineman that ends up being a bust. At this point in time, the Patriots can't afford a mixed pick.

That being said, finding elite offensive line talent in free agency doesn't come around very often. Most teams end up having to draft and develop to create a top-tier line.

Fans are going to have to get used to a lot of speculation around New England over the next few months. The Patriots have a lot of cap space and good draft capital. There are endless directions that they could end up going.

Even though that is a major fact, Banks is a name to keep a very close eye on as a potential pick for New England at No. 4 overall.

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