New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots have several holes to fill and other positions in need of improvement this offseason.
Free agency will be crucial as will be the 2025 NFL Draft. The New England Patriots hold the No. 4 overall pick and need to add at several levels. One local school could help out with that.
Despite a loss in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl to finish the season 7-6, the Boston College Eagles have multiple quality draft picks available that could assist the Patriots in the rebuild.
Beyond the geographical proximity, there’s several Patriots connections between the organizations. BC head coach Bill O’Brien served in two stints as New England’s offensive coordinator and hired New England’s current head coach in as a defensive assistant during his time with the Houston Texans.
The Patriots also just brought in Doug Marrone, the former NFL head coach and a key staffer in O’Brien’s first season at BC, in Foxboro with a recent emphasis on the offensive line.
Here’s three BC names to keep an eye on as the Patriots scout ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Ozzy Trapilo
The 6-foot-8, 305 pound offensive lineman has the size and ability to play as a projectable tackle at the next level. He held up strong with quality reps during Senior Bowl practices and O’Brien continuously praised him ahead of the next steps such as BC’s pro day before the draft.
Donovan Ezeiruaku
The BC edge rusher finished his collegiate career strong and led the nation in sacks (16.5) as an absolute game wrecker.
The 2024 ACC Defensive Player of the Year should hear his name called in the early rounds in April, perhaps even earlier than originally intended. There’s talented edge rushers in the draft, led by Penn State’s Abdul Carter as a potential top-5 pick. If New England passes or misses out on Carter early, Ezeiruaku could be the next high-level Patriots pass rusher of the future for New England.
NESN’s George Balekji, Travis Thomas and Keagan Stiefel discussed Ezeiruaku’s stock on the latest episode of the “Foxboro Rush” podcast.
“I don’t think anyone’s stock will rise higher than his,” Balekji offered on Ezeiruaku’s Senior Bowl workouts.
Ezeirukaku also himself appeared on “Foxboro Rush” during his standout 2024 season at BC.
Drew Kendall
Kendall established himself as a steady presence at center and with David Andrews in the final years of his accomplished Patriots tenure, offensive line needs will come back inside soon for New England.
Kendall was a captain this season at BC and projects as a capable leader and blocker at the next level. The Patriots should at least take a look after assessing the tackles in the draft.
