FOXBOROUGH — As Matthew Judon entered the final season of his contract last summer, the veteran edge rusher wanted a new deal.
Judon made his unhappiness clear with unprofessional behavior on the practice field and sound bites in press conferences, and ultimately, Eliot Wolf decided to trade him to the Atlanta Falcons for a third-round pick.
That’s proven to be one of Wolf’s best deals thus far, and its continuing to bear fruit.
The pick from Atlanta wound up as No. 77 overall, and on Friday night, the Patriots flipped that for two more selections. The first deal was with the Chiefs, trading No. 77 for No. 85 and No. 146 (5th round). Then they traded down again with No. 85, getting No. 95 and a 2026 4th round pick from the Bears.
With No. 95, the Patriots selected Jared Wilson, a center from Georgia.
The 6-foot-3, 310-pounder is still a bit raw — he only started one season for the Bulldogs — but he’s very athletic. Wilson ran a 4.84 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, the fastest of any offensive lineman, and can pull well accordingly.
Then with pick No. 146 in the fifth round, New England drafted LSU edge rusher Bradyn Swinson. A late bloomer, Swinson was also a one year starter, but finished fifth in the FBS in pressures (59) last season and profiles as a good fit in Mike Vrabel’s defense.
NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah had Swinson as his 87th ranked player in the draft and Dane Brugler of The Athletic projected him as a third-rounder.
So Judon’s trade tree has grown to three picks:
3rd round, No. 95: Jared Wilson
5th round, No. 146: Bradyn Swinson
4th round 2026, Chicago’s selection
As for Judon, the 32-year-old didn’t sign an extension with the Falcons and struggled to find the same production that he’d enjoyed in New England. In 17 games, Judon finished with 5.5 sacks and 12 pressures. He’s currently a free agent.