Zolak and Bertrand react to Drake Maye’s comments about the Patriots’ position in the NFL draft when he was on the ‘Up and Adams’ show.
The New England Patriots will have a tough decision to make with the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, regardless of which players are still on the board.
It's the classic draft for need or take the best player available debate, and Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is clearly on one side.
“I think you take the best player. I’m thinking that early, you take the best player available," Maye said Tuesday on FanDuelTV's Up and Adams Show.
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"Any one of those guys. I don't wanna put my foot in my mouth here. Whoever wants to come play in New England and win some football games.”
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These comments echo what Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said at a season ticket holder event this past weekend.
“The best player available is going to be the way it is,” Wolf said, per MassLive's Karen Guregian. “Maybe we went for need a little bit too much last year. Obviously that culminated in us drafting Drake Maye, so it wasn’t all bad.
“But, just moving forward, it’s taking the best player, and understanding that we’ve filled a lot of needs already in free agency.”
After making a bunch of impactful upgrades to the defense in free agency, the Patriots would be wise to prioritize the offense early in the draft.
The Patriots still have glaring weaknesses at wide receiver and left tackle. They could also use some more young talent at running back and center.
If Maye is going to reach his full potential in New England, he needs much better players around him at the skill positions, in addition to a more dependable offensive line. The quickest way to ruin a young quarterback is a bad offensive line.
LSU's Will Campbell is the best offensive tackle in the draft and likely will be available at No. 4, but what if Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter is still on the board? ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Carter as the No. 2 player in the 2025 draft class, while Campbell comes in at No. 13.
The best-case scenario for the Patriots would be Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter falling to No. 4. He would be the best player available and fill a huge need on offense. Whether he actually makes it past the first three picks remains to be seen.