New England Patriots - NESN.com
The Patriots will soon embark on a transformative offseason, which includes major organizational, staffing and roster changes. NESN gave me a shot at predicting what those changes will look like, helping turn things around for New England entering 2025. Welcome to the latest installment of our Patriots Manifesto, where we finally draft the club’s next core of stars.
Part 1: The Patriots Manifesto | Part 2: Organizational Changes | Part 3: Trades | Part 4: Free Agency
The Patriots’ primary goal during free agency should be to address each of their biggest needs, which then opens up the ability to draft the most talented players available and not focus on specific positions. We followed that ideology, but you know we also have a trick or two up our sleeves when it comes to the draft itself.
PFF’s mock draft simulator will be our primary tool. New England has nine picks to play with, including those we picked up through prior trades, so let’s jump straight into it.
No. 4: EDGE Abdul Carter (Penn State)
Carter is as close to a slam dunk pick as anyone possibly could be, with the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants essentially deciding for us by selecting quarterback Cam Ward, wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, respectively.
New England needs a legitimate difference-maker at No. 4, and one falls directly to that spot in our exercise. It’s a no-brainer.
No. 26: OT Grey Zabel (North Dakota State)
Zabel had perhaps the best showing of any prospect at the Senior Bowl, using the opportunity to showcase that he’s fully capable of holding his own as a tackle despite less-than-ideal arm length and level of competition. The Patriots added two viable options at tackle earlier in this exercise, so we get to take a bit of a gamble with this selection.
Zabel and Mekari can both play all over the offensive line, which opens up all sorts of possibilities for New England.
No. 69: DL Darius Alexander (Toledo)
Toledo’s greatest export since the perfume atomizer, Alexander was another standout from the 2025 Senior Bowl.
The Patriots need tons of help in the trenches, and Alexander joins the likes of Carter, Huff and Onwuzurike to help rebuild things alongside the likes of Christian Barmore and Davon Godchaux. Oh baby, what a group!
No. 77: TE Harold Fannin Jr. (Bowling Green)
Fannin is one of the most prolific tight ends in the history of college football, but beyond that, he has the physical makeup of your prototypical “move” option in one of McDaniels’ offenses.
Aaron Hernandez made that role famous, but it was later occupied in tweaked iterations by the likes of Martellus Bennett and Jonnu Smith — to varying results. Fannin’s arrival would eventually allow for those two-tight end sets to become a little more dynamic. And he one day could take over for Hunter Henry as the top target in that room.
No. 104: WR Jaylin Noel (Iowa State)
Noel’s college teammate,...
