Ted Johnson gives Robert Kraft credit for firing Jerod Mayo after just one season
The New England Patriots would have earned the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft if they lost their Week 18 regular season finale versus the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
But the Patriots won 23-16, and as a result, they slid from the No. 1 pick all the way down to the No. 4 pick in the final first round draft order. In a draft class that's expected to produce just two quarterbacks at the top of Round 1, falling out of the top two is a real setback for the Patriots.
Sliding from No. 1 to No. 4 in the first round also results in the Patriots going from the No. 3 pick in the second round (No. 35 overall) to the No. 6 pick in the second round (No. 38 overall). A three-pick difference at the top of the second round is significant as well.
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The Patriots have two third-round picks -- their own selection and the Atlanta Falcons' pick, which was acquired in the Matthew Judon trade back in August. The Chicago Bears offered a third-round pick for Judon, but the Patriots let the veteran linebacker choose between the two NFC teams and he picked Atlanta. If the Patriots had taken the Bears deal, and it was a 2025 pick, they would have gotten the No. 72 overall pick in Round 3 as opposed to the Falcons' pick at No. 77.
In total, the Patriots have nine picks in the upcoming draft, including zero sixth-round selections and two additional seventh-rounders from the Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Chargers. The Titans' pick is at the top of the seventh round.
Will the Patriots keep all nine of these selections? That remains to be seen. Having two third-round picks gives the Patriots some good ammo to trade up if a player they like starts to fall in the first or second rounds.
What we do know is this draft is one of the most important events in team history. If the Patriots are going to get back on track, they must nail this draft.
If you look at other teams that have engineered successful rebuilds recently, like the Cincinnati Bengals and Detroit Lions, those teams built a strong foundation by consistently hitting home runs in the first, second and third rounds.
