Patriots Trade First-Overall Pick in ESPN's Preseason NFL Mock Draft

The New England Patriots could make a bold decision come draft time next season.

August 8, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo works from the sideline during the first half against the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

While we've yet to see this season's batch of highly-anticipated NFL rookies take the field for their first-year snaps, it's never too early to take a peek at the 2025 class to see what newcomers are on the horizon for the coming spring.

It's especially true when it comes to the New England Patriots, who could be gearing up for another premier selection at the top of the first round next offseason. This roster did take some considerable steps forward in their rebuild process this summer, but a few glaring holes could still limit the ceiling of this squad, and effectively find themselves in the top five for the season season in a row.

In the eyes of ESPN, the fate for the Patriots this season doesn't look too great, as they were pinned to have the number one selection in Field Yates's latest 2025 NFL mock draft. However, despite their top-tier placement, Yates foresees a potential blockbuster trade-down to be in play for New England, throwing out a hypothetical move with the New York Giants to shift to the sixth pick instead:

"As we know, quarterbacks are almost always gravitating toward the top of the board, as eight of the past 10 first overall picks have been signal-callers. The Patriots just used the No. 3 selection on Drake Maye in April, so chances are they'd be listening on trade offers if they landed the No. 1 pick next year. In this scenario, the Giants come calling for a second straight year and this time get a deal done. This projected trade would involve multiple picks, including New York's No. 6 selection."

- Field Yates, ESPN

We know New England reportedly toyed around with a potential trade down with the Giants across this year's draft, but in Yates's scenario, the move comes just a year later for New York to secure their QB of the future, who ends up being Georgia's Carson Beck in this case.

No matter how poor the Patriots perform, it's hard to see Maye play his way out of the future signal-caller role in just one season, so a move down the board to acquire additional assets makes a load of sense here. New England can utilize the extra capital to bring in some other young candidates to fill needs on the roster, whether that be at receiver, or the offensive/defensive line.

With the trade down in effect, the Patriots instead pick at sixth in Yates's mock, where he pins this team taking a chance on Will Johnson, the 21-year-old corner from the University of Michigan. Yates details the junior DB as a "lockdown-corner" that could form a "lethal duo" with second-year budding star, Christian Gonzalez:

"I'd say New England is more likely to address offensive tackle than cornerback next spring, but I'm just not convinced enough on the class's second-best left tackle in my early tape study to go that direction and pass up [Will] Johnson... Johnson has lockdown-corner potential in the pros. His size (6-2, 202 pounds), efficient movement skills and physicality scream NFL star, and he would tag-team with Christian Gonzalez to form a lethal duo. Johnson has seven interceptions over two seasons."

- Field Yates, cont.

For the Patriots, a large need for an offensive tackle could eventually sway this decision in a different direction, but another lockdown defensive back is far from a poor alternative.

New England has a solid core of Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, and Jonathan Jones to man down the corner position currently, but as Jonathan Jones enters his age-31 season, there's ample reason to believe this team targets another cornerstone on the defensive end. And when factoring in Johnson's elite physical traits to make him stand out as a prospect, the idea does have some clear appeal.

An argument could also be made for the Patriots to target an edge rusher with the recent departure of Matthew Judon or even a top receiver prospect to pair with Maye. Guys like Texas A&M's Nic Scourton and Colorado's Travis Hunter were still on the board to fit this mold, but Yates opted to steer New England toward Johnson.

An array of solid options remain on the table for the Patriots ahead of the next draft season, though before we get too carried away, let's see how New England fares in their 2024 campaign before concluding another top-three pick is in play.

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