New England Patriots Introduce New Head Coach Mike Vrabel | Billie Weiss/GettyImages

Although free agency is set to begin next week and the Patriots have plenty of cap space to drastically makeover their roster, the NFL Draft continues to be a central topic especially right after the Combine. Because New England holds the fourth overall pick, they continue to be connected to some of the top non-quarterback prospects, many of whom would dramatically improve their roster.

The most exciting speculation surrounds two players: Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter and Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter. Both players would fill positions of need on opposite sides of the football and fit the new regime’s plan of what they want the team to be.

The Patriots are on deck to land either player, with at least two quarterbacks projected to go in the top-3 selections. However, who that will be is up in the air, with the Titans and Giants being the wildcard teams to determine who the Patriots could draft.

Because of that, some suggest that Vrabel and Co. should trade up to get a franchise-altering player, like Carter or Hunter, and that’s what a former NFL player believes they could and should do.

Keyshawn Johnson believes the Patriots should trade up in the 2025 NFL Draft for one player

While discussing the NFL Draft last week on FS1’s “Speak,” Keyshawn Johnson mentioned the Patriots being in the perfect spot to trade up the first overall pick to ensure they are able to take Hunter off the board, especially if that’s who they have their eyes set on like recent reports have claimed.

“New England would be a perfect situation to move up to one, drop down to four if I’m Tennessee. Take my shot that Cleveland and the Giants are going to take them one, two. Now, I still get one of the two at four and I get picks if I’m the Tennessee Titans. The New England Patriots and Vrabel get exactly what they want: a playmaker in Travis Hunter. They don’t need a quarterback.”

It’s not a bad idea, given the chatter coming out of the Combine suggesting other teams are hoping to trade up and the interest in Hunter continues to grow.

He would be an asset to the Patriots offense as a top wide receiver for Drake Maye, but also invaluable in the secondary alongside star cornerback Christian Gonzalez, making it incredibly difficult to argue that he shouldn’t be the next Patriots draft pick.

As the draft nears, rumors might clarify what the three teams ahead of them are expected to do with their draft positioning, giving the Patriots some idea if trading up would be necessary. It will all hinge on that, coupled with how they fare in free agency, and getting the WR1 they need is already looking like it will be far more complex than anticipated.

That highlights the importance of potentially drafting Hunter even more, especially in a class that is expected to be far deeper at EDGE than wide receiver, allowing the Patriots to feel better about possibly passing on a guy like Carter.