Staff Writer for the Athletic, Chad Graff, released his final roster predictions post-NFL draft fo. The New England Patriots made a lot of moves in free agency and capped off their offseason by making 11 draft selections during the 2025 NFL draft. With all these additions, some people will have to go, and Graff gave a pretty good idea of who might be staying and who might be out the door.
The quarterback and running back positions had no surprises, but it was the receiver room that had the most interesting and most difficult selections. The Patriots realistically have eight receivers that could make the team, and the average team keeps about six receivers. They also just drafted Kyle Williams in the third round, and not many third-rounders don’t make the roster, so that makes for another spot already filled.
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Graff predicted that the Patriots will keep Stefon Diggs, Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams, and Ja’Lynn Polk meaning that Kendrick Bourne and Javon Baker do not make the cut. This is very surprising for different reasons but also makes a lot of sense.
The Patriots’ releasing Bourne would not be very shocking, as there have been a lot of talks all offseason that he is going to end up being the odd man out. Bourne has played four really solid seasons for the Patriots, especially his first season with the team when he had 800 yards and five touchdowns. However, since then his last three seasons with the team, his production went down due to injuries and inconsistent play.
Bourne is now 29 with two more years left on his deal and the Patriots have brought in a lot of younger or more talented receivers making him the most likely receiver to be moved on from. The trade market for Bourne is also probably very slim so it makes the most sense to release him and to establish connection between Drake Maye and the other receivers.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) and wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk (1).Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
What is more astonishing cut would be second-year player Javon Baker. Baker was a fourth-round pick out of UCF last year who had a lot of confidence and potential. Baker struggled in preseason, which caused him to play minimal snaps during the year, however, it was thought that he would get a chance to redeem himself this offseason. It was even talked about in a press conference earlier this offseason by head coach Mike Vrabel.
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He said he was excited to get to work with Baker and that they had been communicating since Vrabel accepted the job. This is why letting go of Baker seems somewhat of a surprise and he could definitely end up on the practice squad at worst. Baker would have to go a long way to make the roster as he was not better then any of the players picked to make the team, but you hate to see a young and talented wide receiver not get his chance.
Baker had just one catch for 12 yards last season, but he posses the skills and talent to be a starting wide receiver. He has great hands, he is very capable of making contested catches, and he has NFL size. He would be a good guy to keep around the building, but the Patriots added some necessary help to a position of need and if he is not ready to produce then he may not make the roster as Graff predicted.
The Patriots have done a great job of rebuilding and retooling the roster to make them a competitive team, but unfortunately, that does mean you have to say goodbye to some familiar faces. New England will have to make some very tough decisions shortly, and training camp is going to be the most competitive it has been in a while. Fans will be waiting by their phones for the rest of the offseason to see who will make the final roster.
Related: Former Patriots Center Finds New Home After Release