Where Do the New England Patriots Need To Strengthen in the 2025 NFL Draft?
The New England Patriots posted a 4-13 record in the 2024 regular season. Jerod Mayo lost his job after a nightmare Week 18 win dropped the Pats from first to fourth in the 2025 Draft, with Mike Vrabel hired as Mayo’s successor.
New England was 29th in total DVOA. Only the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, and Miami Dolphins posted a worse season-ending number.
Roster Overhaul Required
Fans in Massachusetts can bet where DraftKings is legally available, whiling knowing the Patriots have a lot of work to do this offseason if they are to avoid being rank outsiders in preseason Super Bowl odds once again.
The performances of Drake Maye should nudge the Pats’ win total up to 5.5 or 6.5, but they need to strengthen several areas of the team in the Draft if they are to compete for a playoff berth, let alone rival the Buffalo Bills for the AFC East.
Offensive Line Weaknesses
Only seven teams allowed quarterback pressures more frequently than the Patriots. The offensive line was below-par for most of the season, and especially struggled against the run, with only four teams averaging fewer yards before contact. The Cincinnati Bengals and Las Vegas Raiders were the only teams with a worse run block win rate.
Mike Vrabel is ready to get to work with @Patriots QB Drake Maye. pic.twitter.com/HLqzlzKoVb
— NFL (@NFL) January 13, 2025
Establishing the run will open everything up for Maye. Vrabel built a more than competent offense around Derrick Henry in Tennessee, and while the Pats aren’t going to have a running back like Henry, Vrabel will surely look to pound opponents on the ground.
The run blocking has to improve for the Patriots to be a playoff team. Maye is capable of making plays when under pressure, as he repeatedly showed in 2024, but he needs better protection in the pocket.
Will Campbell, Kelvin Banks Jr., and Josh Simmons are first-round options on the O-line.
Catching The Ball
A 5% drop rate during the 2024 regular season was comfortably below league average, representing the lack of receiving talent Drake Maye had at his disposal once he became the starting quarterback.
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 13, 2025
Hunter Henry (42.1) was the only Patriot to average more than 40 receiving yards per game. Rhamondre Stevenson, the team’s leader in total touchdowns, had seven fumbles to eight scores.
The Patriots were desperately short of weapons on offense. Tre Harris could be a fit in the second round, or New England could roll the dice on Tetairoa McMillan or Luther Burden III with the fourth overall pick (or a later first-round selection if they trade down).
Put Pressure On
Despite sitting around league-average in blitz rate, the Patriots had the fewest sacks in the NFL. The Titans and Panthers were the only teams with fewer quarterback knockdowns. The run defense was okay, but the Patriots were 30th in expected points on defense, while being below-average in quarterback knockdowns, interceptions, and yards per pass attempt.
Abdul Carter is the top edge on draft boards. There is no shortage of options, though, including Mykel Williams, James Pearce Jr., and Nic Scourton. This is a great class to bolster the pass-rushing options at Vrabel’s disposal.
The Patriots have a lot of work to do ahead of the Draft.
Vrabel could eke more wins out of this roster than Mayo did, but he needs more talent on both sides of the ball to turn the Pats into a playoff contender.