/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73791708/2190136751.0.jpg)
Another week, another loss for the New England Patriots. Their latest defeat — 30-17 against the Arizona Cardinals — was the team’s 11th in 14 games this season. Now at 3-11, the Patriots find themselves deep in the race for the top slots in the 2025 NFL Draft.
And while they did not gain any positions in Week 15 with almost all of their competitors losing as well, the Patriots are now one week closer to owning a top-3 pick for a second straight year. At the moment, they are scheduled to pick third overall in April.
2025 NFL Draft order after Week 15
As noted above, the Patriots are currently set to pick third overall in the 2025 draft. Only the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants, who both have a one-game advantage over them, are ahead in the draft order.
With only three weekends of football left this season, that order looks as follows:
Up-to-date NFL Draft order
| Pick | Team | Record | Win % | SOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pick | Team | Record | Win % | SOS |
| 1 | Las Vegas Raiders | 2-12 | 0.143 | 0.538 |
| 2 | New York Giants | 2-12 | 0.143 | 0.550 |
| 3 | New England Patriots | 3-11 | 0.214 | 0.462 |
| 4 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-11 | 0.214 | 0.483 |
| 5 | Carolina Panthers | 3-11 | 0.214 | 0.496 |
| 6 | Tennessee Titans | 3-11 | 0.214 | 0.508 |
| 7 | Cleveland Browns | 3-11 | 0.214 | 0.525 |
| 8 | New York Jets | 4-10 | 0.286 | 0.508 |
| 9 | Chicago Bears | 4-10 | 0.286 | 0.559 |
| 10 | New Orleans Saints | 5-9 | 0.357 | 0.496 |
| 11 | Miami Dolphins | 6-8 | 0.429 | 0.424 |
| 12 | Indianapolis Colts | 6-8 | 0.429 | 0.475 |
| 13 | Cincinnati Bengals | 6-8 | 0.429 | 0.479 |
| 14 | Dallas Cowboys | 6-8 | 0.429 | 0.521 |
| 15 | San Francisco 49ers | 6-8 | 0.429 | 0.567 |
| 16 | Atlanta Falcons | 7-7 | 0.500 | 0.517 |
| 17 | Arizona Cardinals | 7-7 | 0.500 | 0.529 |
| 18 | Seattle Seahawks | 8-6 | 0.571 | 0.513 |
Non-playoff teams only.Tankathon
The Patriots are one of seven teams with no more than three wins on their résumé right now. This means that there still is plenty of potential for change, and that every win by them or another team in their vicinity could shake things up quite a bit.
Also, a reminder about strength of schedule. As opposed to the NFL waiver wire order, which only considers games and opponents already played, the draft order above puts every opponent into account. That means that while strength of schedule is still subject to change with every game, massive jumps are not to be expected in that regard.
Remaining regular season schedule
With only three weeks left in the NFL’s 2024 regular season, the race for the top spots on the draft board is heating up. Realistically, nine teams are still in contention for those.
Remaining 2024 schedule
| Week | Raiders | Giants | Patriots | Jaguars | Panthers | Titans | Browns | Jets | Bears |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week | Raiders | Giants | Patriots | Jaguars | Panthers | Titans | Browns | Jets | Bears |
| 16 | vs. Raiders | at Falcons | at Bills | at Raiders | vs. Cardinals | at Colts | at Bengals | vs. Rams | vs. Lions |
| 17 | at Saints | vs. Colts | vs. Chargers | vs. Titans | at Buccaneers | at Jaguars | vs. Dolphins | at Bills | vs. Seahawks |
| 18 | vs. Chargers | at Eagles | vs. Bills | at Colts | at Falcons | vs. Texans | at Ravens | vs. Dolphins | at Packers |
With two matchups with the Buffalo Bills and another contest against the Los Angeles Chargers on their remaining schedule, the Patriots have the hardest slate of games left among the teams jockeying for draft position. The only other competitor coming close to that degree of difficulty is the Chicago Bears, over whom the Patriots have a one-win buffer and a significant strength of schedule advantage.
Of course, other teams having an easier schedule does not mean that they will suddenly starting playing winning football. For teams such as the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants — just like the Patriots — victories have been scarce regardless of opponent.
Patriots picks in the 2025 NFL Draft
The Patriots will be well-positioned to add some impact players in the 2025 NFL Draft. Not only are they currently slated to select third overall, they also will own four total picks in the top 100:
- Round 1: Pick 3*
- Round 2: Pick 39*
- Round 3: Pick 70*
- Round 3: Pick 80* (via Atlanta Falcons)
- Round 4: TBD
- Round 5: TBD
- Round 7: TBD
- Round 7: TBD (via Tennessee Titans)
- Round 7: TBD (via Los Angeles Chargers)
*projected slots after Week 15
Thanks to trades with the Atlanta Falcons (ED Matthew Judon), Tennessee Titans (K Nick Folk) and Los Angeles Chargers (CB J.C. Jackson), the Patriots are in possession of nine picks in 2025 at the moment. Their complete portfolio projects as one of the most valuable in the NFL, in large part due to their high first-round pick.
Patriots needs in the 2025 NFL Draft
The Patriots will enter the 2025 offseason with needs across the board. While they do roster blue-chip talent at two of the most important positions on the field — quarterback and cornerback — they could benefit from upgrades almost everywhere else.
Their most glaring needs are offensive tackle, wide receiver, defensive tackle and outside linebacker. They could also opt to address those in free agency, where they are projected to be the league leaders in salary cap space.
