The New England Patriots are about to undergo a ton of changes this offseason. New England already replaced Jerod Mayo with Mike Vrabel. Now they are not set up well to make wholesale changes to their roster that could have a huge impact during the 2025 season.

New England enters the offseason with roughly $128 million in cap space to spend. That gives them the most available cap space in the NFL by a considerable margin. They will enter free agency in a great position to outmaneuver other NFL teams and drive up prices on several players at once. The Patriots could certainly use that to their advantage to bring in multiple difference makers in one offseason.

This is great news for a team that has needs at almost every position on the roster. In fact, quarterback may be the only position New England has figured out thanks to Drake Maye.

The Patriots also have nine picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, including four selections in the top 100 selections. Those picks include the fourth overall pick, which should allow New England to grab one of the best non-QB prospects in this year’s draft.

But with so many options to choose from, which players will the Patriots end up pursuing in the 2025 NFL Draft?

Below we will explore who the Patriots could select during the 2025 NFL Draft according to the PFN mock draft simulator.

Patriots select elite defender in top five for Mike Vrabel’s defense

The Patriots start the 2025 NFL Draft out with a chalk pick. Even though it is not much of a surprise, Patriots fans will love the selection.

New England sticks at the fourth overall pick and selects Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.

Many NFL draft analysts consider Carter to be a generational prospect. That term gets thrown around too loosely these days, but Carter does seem to match the description. In fact, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein gave Carter a “Pro Bowl talent” prospect grade. This is honor that is rarely awarded to players without having played a snap in the league.

Carter projects as an incredibly productive 3-4 edge rushing linebacker, one of the biggest needs the Patriots need to fill. He is a gifted athlete with a strong build and plenty of urgency and quickness to his game.

The Patriots have a great shot at actually drafting Carter in real life. The Titans, Giants, and Browns are the only teams that pick before the Patriots in the 2025 NFL Draft. They all arguably have a big need at quarterback, which means Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward are likely to be picked ahead of New England.

If Heisman-winner Travis Hunter is selected before Carter, then he should land in New England’s lap.

Patriots fans would be thrilled if that happens in April.

Patriots add multiple players, and a future draft pick, in rounds two and three

The Patriots start the second round by selecting tackle Grey Zabel from NDSU with the 38th overall pick.

Zabel could be a backup pick for the Patriots, as tackle Josh Conerly Jr. from Oregon was selected 36th overall by the Jaguars.

Zabel is a powerful tackle prospect who brings a lot to the table. He is tall and strong and possesses great leverage for someone that is 6’6″. He also boasts some positional flexibility, allowing whichever team that drafts him to play him at tackle or slide him in to guard.

The Patriots have needs all over the offensive line, so Zabel’s position would ultimately depend on which players New England brought in during free agency.

Either way, this is an excellent use of a second-round pick.

Things get more complicated for New England in the third round.

The Patriots trade down with their in the third round. They give the 69th overall pick to Pittsburgh in exchange for the 83rd overall pick and a 2026 third-round pick. As a result, the Steelers select Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart.

The Patriots also add Penn State safety Kevin Winston Jr. with the 77th overall pick. Winston Jr., teammate of Abdul Carter, is a physical box safety who could be the eventual replacement for Kyle Duggar. His collegiate career ended prematurely due to a September ACL injury. The Patriots get a bargain by drafting him the third round, mostly because of that injury history.

New England makes another trade, this time moving up one spot from 83rd overall to 82nd overall to pick Oregon WR Tez Johnson. The Patriots give up a 2026 sixth-round pick to move up one spot for Johnson.

Johnson is a fifth-year senior who has received praise from some of college football’s best coaches. He projects primarily as a slot receiver in the NFL, which could be bad news for Demario Douglas. Johnson is a project, but he would have a solid chance to win a training camp battle in New England.

Ultimately, the Patriots spend a sixth-round pick in 2026 and get a third-round pick in 2026 while moving around the board in the third round. Nothing to complain about there.