2025 NFL Draft: Identifying Patriots' Best And Worst Draft Selection
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The New England Patriots had a fantastic draft in 2025.
The team selected a whopping 11 players, and several of these players should be in a position to contribute immediately.
Head coach Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots speaks to the media during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on February 25, 2025.
Head coach Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots speaks to the media during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on February 25, 2025.In the first round, the team stood pat and selected arguably the best offensive lineman in the draft in Will Campbell. Campbell should be the team's left tackle of the future after starring at LSU in college.
In the second round, the team added talented Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson. Henderson could immediately challenege Rhamondre Stevenson for the starting gig thanks to his versatily and toughness.
Elsewhere, the team added quality prospects like Washington State wide receiver Nick Williams, Georgia offensive lineman Jared Wilson, and LSU edge-rusher Bradyn Swinson, among others.
Now, let's identify the best and worst pick the team made last weekend. This was a solid draft class, so it may be hard to find the worst pick.
Best: Round 3, Pick 69- Kyle Williams, WR, Washington State
While Campbell fills an obvious need and could end up being an elite player, it would be too easy to go with that pick.
Instead, we'll go with third-round pick Kyle Williams. Williams is a solid route-runner already with sure hands and the quickness to get open across the middle. The Patriots desperately need to get better at wide receiver, and Williams helps the team do that.
Quarterback Drake Maye showed flashes as a rookie in 2024, but his supporting cst needs to be upgraded. Stefon Diggs was brought in this offseason, and now the veteran and rookie Williams should give Maye a reliable pass-catching duo.
Williams easily could've gone higher, too, so this pick not only fills a need, but represents great value as well.
Worst: Round 3, Pick 95- Jared Wilson, C, Georgia
It's hard to identify the team's worst pick considering I like this class a lot.
However, if I had to pick the worst pick, it would have to be Jared Wilson in the third round. Wilson is a fine player, but the team did add reliable veteran Garrett Bradbury at center this offseason.
Wilson is a solid backup option and could eventually take over for Bradbury, but a third-round pick could've been used more wisely.
For example, Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts was surprisingly still available when the team took Wilson. Watts impressed at Notre Dame and could've been a nice addition to the Patriots' secondary.
Another smart pick would've been edge-rusher Sai'vion Jones or wide receiver Tai Felton instead of a backup center.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
12 minutes ago
- USA Today
5 standout players in Day 1 of Patriots training camp
The New England Patriots stepped on the field for their first training camp practice of the summer on Wednesday. There were a couple of competitive team periods, but this was a lighter practice with the team working in helmets and shorts. Drills were the primary focus in this setting. There are high expectations for the Patriots this year, despite the team finishing last season with a 4-13 record. Coach Mike Vrabel brought in a more experienced coaching staff and made significant upgrades on offense and defense throughout the offseason. This was the first opportunity for fans to see the new-look Patriots in person, and it wasn't a practice that disappointed. Multiple players on the roster boosted their stock a little higher after Day 1 of training camp. Here are the five standout players from the first practice: DL Keion White Patriots edge rusher Keion White has plenty of untapped potential as a defensive player. Perhaps this will be his breakout year with many of the improvements along the defensive front. He flashed his disruptive abilities at Wednesday's practice by plowing through rookie left tackle Will Campbell on a play for a would-be sack on Drake Maye. QB Drake Maye Drake Maye looked sharp during the 11-on-11 period at Wednesday's practice, completing 8-of-9 of his passes against the defense. It was promising to see him link up with newcomers Stefon Diggs and Kyle Williams a couple of times in practice. The growing chemistry he develops with his new receiving weapons could be key in the offense finding a pulse for the first time in three years. CB DJ James DJ James getting the first interception at training camp wasn't on anyone's Bingo card. The second-year cornerback undercut a poorly thrown ball by veteran quarterback Josh Dobbs and came up with the takeaway. It was a heads-up play that resulted in the only forced turnover for the defense in the practice. WR Kyle Williams Patriots rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams worked in with the first-team offense and made a couple of nice grabs during practice. One play in particular was a comeback route with All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez in coverage. It was an impressive showing for a young player who will likely see many more balls thrown in his direction throughout training camp. WR Stefon Diggs It didn't take long for Stefon Diggs and Drake Maye to get on the same page. Maye found the four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver on a short crosser for his first completion in training camp. Diggs came away with two receptions during the practice. It was impressive that he was even on the field in the first place after tearing his ACL last October with the Houston Texans. Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Taylor Fritz starts hard-court circuit with a win at the DC Open. Venus Williams loses in doubles
WASHINGTON (AP) — Top-seeded Taylor Fritz got his North American hard-court season off to a strong start by hitting 11 aces and saving the only break point he faced in a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Aleksandar Vukic at the DC Open on Wednesday. Fritz is coming off a semifinal run on the grass of Wimbledon. He will be trying to replicate last year's strong showing in this portion of the season, when he reached his first Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open. After getting a first-round bye, Fritz now will play in the third round against Matteo Arnaldi, who eliminated No. 16 Lorenzo Sonego 7-5, 7-5. Seeded men advancing included No. 7 Alex de Minaur, No. 8 Daniil Medvedev and No. 11 Jiri Lehecka, but No. 10 Alexei Popyrin was defeated by qualifier Wu Yibing 7-5, 5-7, 6-3. Venus Williams' run in doubles with partner Hailey Baptiste ended in the second round with a 6-4, 3-6, 10-6 loss in a champion's tiebreaker to second-seeded Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai. The 45-year-old Williams is competing at her first tournament in more than a year — and first in doubles since 2022 — and she and Baptiste won their first-round match on Monday. Williams will play her second-round singles match Thursday against Magdalena Frech. On Tuesday, Williams became the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match, beating Payton Stearns — who is 23 — in straight sets. In women's singles play Wednesday, unseeded Anna Kalinskaya eliminated No. 8 seed Magda Linette 6-4, 6-0. ___ AP tennis: The Associated Press
San Francisco Chronicle
42 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Taylor Fritz starts hard-court circuit with a win at the DC Open. Venus Williams loses in doubles
WASHINGTON (AP) — Top-seeded Taylor Fritz got his North American hard-court season off to a strong start by hitting 11 aces and saving the only break point he faced in a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Aleksandar Vukic at the DC Open on Wednesday. Fritz is coming off a semifinal run on the grass of Wimbledon. He will be trying to replicate last year's strong showing in this portion of the season, when he reached his first Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open. After getting a first-round bye, Fritz now will play in the third round against Matteo Arnaldi, who eliminated No. 16 Lorenzo Sonego 7-5, 7-5. Seeded men advancing included No. 7 Alex de Minaur, No. 8 Daniil Medvedev and No. 11 Jiri Lehecka, but No. 10 Alexei Popyrin was defeated by qualifier Wu Yibing 7-5, 5-7, 6-3. Venus Williams' run in doubles with partner Hailey Baptiste ended in the second round with a 6-4, 3-6, 10-6 loss in a champion's tiebreaker to second-seeded Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai. The 45-year-old Williams is competing at her first tournament in more than a year — and first in doubles since 2022 — and she and Baptiste won their first-round match on Monday. Williams will play her second-round singles match Thursday against Magdalena Frech. On Tuesday, Williams became the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match, beating Payton Stearns — who is 23 — in straight sets. ___
