New England Patriots - NESN.com
The Patriots did their homework prior to the 2025 NFL Draft.
New England didn’t just co-lead the way with 11 total selections across the weekend, but followed that up by reportedly adding 18 undrafted free agents in the days following. It’s a huge rookie class, but for a team looking to completely rebuild itself from the ground up, the smart thing to do was to throw as many darts as possible at the board.
How many are going to stick, though?
I spent a couple of days researching those who reportedly have been invited to One Patriot Place, so let’s rank their chances to retained past training camp:
The Patriots just needed another guy to chuck it around during camp, and they found one. I’d be surprised if they don’t go out and add someone else to the quarterback room, but in all honesty, this is just a numbers thing, so they have enough people for scout team reps.
Ganious is a good athlete, but he never graduated to anything more than a rotational role at Wake Forest. It’ll be difficult for him to receive any meaningful reps this summer.
Webb has decent size (5-foot-11, 198 pounds), but there isn’t very much testing information available to see how he stacks up athletically to other wideouts in this class. The Patriots have to cut their receiving room in half as things currently stand, so it’s doubtful these non-descript free agents will have much opportunity.
Birdow is a local product who has only recently made the switch from the defensive side of the ball, but still showcases elite athleticism for an interior offensive lineman. New England could keep him around deep into training camp.
Crossley can run really fast in a straight line, but he’s undersized and performed poorly in agility drills at his pro day. Can he crack the code on special teams?
Minkins is a legitimate player, having served as a veteran leader in two different programs. The Patriots will really like him, but the defensive backfield is full of hybrid players who already provide insane value on special teams. It’s just not a great fit.
Pene is a name to remember, as he should stick around deep into the summer due to being an international player (France) that will not count against the roster until final cuts. The Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed was first to report that news.
Riley doesn’t fit any traditional positional designations, but could be a good chess piece to play with throughout the summer. Marte Mapu is of a similar ilk, though it looks like both will be fighting for a spot that might not even be available.
