NFL Draft season is now in full swing. Pro days and top 30 visits are dominating the NFL news cycle, as teams get the last pieces of information before they find themselves on the clock in just a few weeks. This is also the period when more information comes out publicly, for those of us on the outside trying to project what is going to happen starting on April 23.
In that spirit, it’s time to open the Mock Draft Mailbag back up. We got more than double the submissions we did last time, but there’s a couple of pretty common themes through a number of the mock drafts. We’ll explore those first then get into some of the outliers in Mock Draft Mailbag 2.0…
That’s for good reason, beyond Vrabel working with him hands-on at the pro day (although that certainly helps the case). Right tackle is a need for the Patriots with 35-year-old starter Morgan Moses year-to-year. Iheanachor has all the tools to be a starting right tackle in the NFL but does need some time to be coached up having not started playing football until college. The Patriots have the time to work with at the position, and the class significantly drops off at the position once he’s off the board.
Beyond Iheanachor, this draft does a great job of grabbing logical Patriots fits at realistic spots on the board. Height is a quick, explosive pass rusher to seems to fit what the Patriots want in that role, but he’s knocked down to the second due to issues in playing the run. Delp is the well-rounded tight end who tends to work in the McDaniels offense.
That trend continues on Day 3 as well. Wheatley, Stribling, and Randall have all met with the Patriots on 30 visits and all add depth while bringing something to the table the Pats don’t already have. Fisher does project as a Patriots-like linebacker, and Stonehouse could compete with Bryce Baringer, who is in a contract year. Overall, this mock draft is very well done.
Another mock draft that has the Patriots taking Iheanachor, then getting an edge rusher with the next pick. Moore is another player that seems to fit what the Patriots are looking for as a high-motor, quick off the line pass rusher who has work to do as a run stopper.
I do have some questions about the offensive weapons in this draft. Fields certainly fits the 50/50 ball receiver that works with Drake Maye, but there are questions about his ability to win beyond contested catch situations. At tight end, Joly can get open and make plays with the ball in his hands, but doesn’t offer much inline and as a blocker in particular. Gyllenborg feels like more of a fit for this offense, but he is a bit further away as a receiver than Joly.
In a bubble, I really like the players this mock draft has the Patriots taking after starting with Iheanachor. Haulcy and Perkins are both explosive defensive playmakers at positions of need (although I’m not sure if Haulcy gets to 63), Proctor is an attacking defensive tackle, and I already mentioned Delp and Fisher as logical fits.
However, waiting until the sixth-round for an edge rusher feels unrealistic. Perkins can rush the passer a bit, but that’s not his whole game. It’d be a tough choice deciding who to remove instead of him, but I’d be pretty surprised if they come out of the top 100 without an edge rusher.
Similar top of the draft here, but what interests me is the back-to-back tight ends in the top-125. Indidivually I like both Roush and Endries as potential well-rounded tight ends (Roush is a bit ahead as a better blocker and better athlete), but committing roster spots to both is quite the call. With Huner Henry and Julian Hill on the roster already there’s so many snaps to go around. Is there a plan to get both on the field? Or is this a ‘draft two to improve the odds of one hitting’ thing?
Later on, Cooper and Robertson are good names for Patriots to know. The Patriots have ties to the Miami program, and at 6-foot-6, 334 pounds he projects as a Patriots type of right guard who could be a pipeline player behind Mike Onwenu, who is in a contract year. Robertson has good size and a big arm, and profiles as a third quarterback in the Patriots’ system.
A celebrity submission from Phil Perry himself, who gets bonus draft sicko points for submitting it after 10 p.m. ET on a Friday. Sneaky good pick in the second round with Stukes. Cornerback and safety are needs for the Patriots, and Stukes can play both. He was also a Combine standout. Barham has some multi-position flexibility as well, as an edge rusher and off-ball linebacker. More off-ball linebacker depth comes with Bentley on Day 3, and Zuhn would be a multi-positional offensive line backup.
Let’s talk about the other Sun Devil that got a lot of love in these mock drafts, Jordyn Tyson. Initially projected as a top-15 pick, Tyson has been dealing with a hamstring injury that has hampered him during the pre-draft process. That and some reporting that teams are worried about his compete level have sparked the question of a potential fall down the board.
Injury issues aside, Tyson is the exact profile of receiver the Patriots should be looking for. At 6-foot-2, 203 pounds he can line up everywhere, get open at all three levels, and make plays at the catch point and with the ball in his hands.
Is he worth the Patriots moving up for? That depends what his medicals are, and how far he falls. Upper-20s is probably as high as the Patriots can realistically get without giving up a player or significant future draft capital. This move is actually similar to a trade between the Patriots and Chiefs in 2022 (minus the extra sixth-round pick coming back). It’s a lot, but if the Patriots believe Tyson can be that coverage-dictating wide receiver, it’s not unreasonable.
I like the early Day 3 defense run in this mock too. Clark, Bentley, and Dixon are all good fits for what the Patriots look for at those respective positions, and the entire unit would be in a much better place depth-wise with those kinds of picks.
It depends how much the Panthers value future picks, but I’m not sure this would be enough to move up 12 spots plus add another top-100 pick.
This draft definitely makes the most of that extra asset though. Dunker is a future starting guard that also adds depth at tackle, Louis is a do-it-all third-down weapon, and Crawford is a tough, athletic pass rusher.
Ott is one of the tougher players for me to figure out in this draft. He was awesome as a true sophomore at Cal in 2023, with 1,500 all-purpose yards and 14 touchdowns in 12 games. However injuries impacted him at 2024, then he struggled to get on the field after transferring to Oklahoma last year. Maybe 2023 was a fluke season for him, but his skillset as a quicker back who can play in the pass game seems like the kind of player McDaniels could get the most out of.
Moving on to non-Arizona State top picks. If the Patriots are interested in Iheanachor reason would stand they’re also interested in Miller, who will fill a similar role but is more advanced in his development with 54 career starts. The question with him is whether or not he falls, and he’s much more likely a trade-up candidate than trade down.
If the Patriots don’t take an edge rusher in the first round, Jacas might be my favorite option for them on Day 2. He has a wrestling background and it shows up with his high motor, violent play style, and work with his hands in the rush.
Later on here, Corleone (nicknamed The Godfather) is a player I’m surprised isn’t getting a little more buzz for the Patriots. A 6-foot, 340-pound nose tackle, he’d a pure run stopper who could help fill the loss of Khyiris Tonga. Part of the reason he’s not projected to go in the top 100 is a blood clotting issue he dealt with in 2024, but that’s something the Patriots have more experience in dealing with after David Andrews and Christian Barmore.
I’m not sure if the Patriots would help the Jets get an extra first-round pick, but this is a good return for doing so. They move back and get Young, a power rusher who has been tied to them pretty much going back to the Combine.
Linebacker is a need for the Patriots I don’t se mocked in the top 100 a ton, but it’s certainly a position where they could get aggressive. Hill is the kind of three-down linebacker they’d likely look for, and he brings a playmaking element (31.5 tackles for loss, eight forced fumbles in 40 career college games). Getting Everette two picks later is another good move for the defense’s future, as he projects as a possible starting caliber outside cornerback during his rookie contract.
The other thing I like about this draft is not just taking Bowry, but taking him at 95. He’s currently a projected fourth-round pick, but tackles almost always go higher than expected – which certainly feels like the case in this draft. If the Patriots like him, and they worked with him quite a bit at his pro day, it’s better safe than sorry.
Thomas was another popular top pick for the Patriots in these mocks. He definitely has the speed rusher traits down, but is a bit undersized. Pick 31 might be unrealistic but a trade back could put him into play. If the Patriots do trade back though, they should be looking to get more than this.
Golday is another potential top-100 linebacker for the Patriots. A three-down linebacker he’s at his best against the run, and on passing downs is mainly a blitzer but not out of place in coverage.
The closer we get to the draft, the more I like a trade-down, trade-up idea (this might be a trade down adding two top-100 picks, I can’t really tell but the point stands). Within that these top five picks would be a haul for the Patriots and don’t feel super unrealistic in their spots, although it would most likely have to be Rodrigutez and then Jacas. Overall this is one of my favorite mocks I got.
Rodriguez is likely a top-40 pick, and could be a candidate to sneak into the first-round. A converted quarterback, he still sees the game through the eyes of that position, and had tremendous on-ball production in college both as a tackler and forcing turnovers. His athletic testing at the Combine suggested an even higher ceiling. Bentley is a good pickup as well, as a primary blocking tight end who made strides as a pass catcher in 2025.
Agreed, it might be a little unrealistic to have Cooper at Pick 31 but I don’t think it’s impossible. If he’s there he certainly checks the boxes of a Josh McDaniels wide receiver.
Kind of like with Bowry, if the Patriots have a right tackle they like in the late-third, early-fourth range they’re better off being aggressive. Bell is another player that fits that mold. Unlike Bowry who wins with athleticism, Bell’s carrying trait is his size at 6-foot-9, 346 pounds with nearly 37-inch arms.
Probably should mix in at least one mock draft at Pick 31 since that still feels highly likely. Might be draft fatigue, but we got a lot less of those submissions this time around. Howell remains a scheme fit, and the Patriots double-up here with Curry who looked like an ascending player in his lone season of full-time work last year.
That being said, I don’t think trading for Aiyuk is an ‘alternative’ to AJ Brown. He didn’t play great in his last game action in 2024, that was before a torn ACL and MCL. He’s more of a lottery ticket at this point, and giving up three picks for him feels like a lot.
Lawrence has been one of the biggest risers in this pre-draft process, and at this point the first-round isn’t out of the question for him. Stylistically he fits the Patriots mold as a high-motor, quick get-off rusher, so picking him a bit above the projection makes sense.
Hurst feels like a little more of a reach here. He has potential as a starting outside X receiver, but there are a number of those players in the late Day 2/early Day 3 range. Does Hurst separate himself from players like Bryce Lance, De’Zhaun Stribling, and Jakobi Lane to jump into the second round?
“No way this actually happens” indeed, but a fun way for us to wrap up Mock Draft Mailbag 2.0.