ESPN believes the Patriots will earn the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but Field Yates doesn't project New England to take the first player off the board next April.
With Drake Maye poised to be the starting quarterback of the future in Foxboro, Mass., Yates sees the Patriots trading the top selection to a team that figures to need signal-caller help next year: the New York Giants. The NFL insider didn't lay out all of the details of a potential blockbuster trade, but he projected the Patriots to move five spots down to No. 6 overall.
And with that pick, Yates sees New England targeting Michigan cornerback Will Johnson.
"I'd say New England is more likely to address offensive tackle than cornerback next spring, but I'm just not convinced enough on the class's second-best left tackle in my early tape study to go that direction and pass up Johnson," Yates wrote in a 2025 mock draft published Wednesday. "To that end, LSU's Will Campbell could certainly enter the mix, but Johnson would provide a mix of need and value. Johnson has lockdown-corner potential in the pros. His size (6-foot-2, 202 pounds), efficient movement skills and physicality scream NFL star, and he would tag-team with Christian Gonzalez to form a lethal duo. Johnson has seven interceptions over two seasons."
As it stands, the secondary arguably is New England's greatest strength. But cornerback is a premium position and a defensive-minded head coach like Jerod Mayo probably wouldn't have any qualms with making that group even stronger.
Of course, the Patriots' 2025 draft approach will be tailored by the events of the upcoming season. And there's a seemingly good chance New England decision-makers will be eager to bolster the offense, whether it be up front or at the skill positions.
