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Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

NFL Draft countdown: Focus on Patriots' first-round pick at No. 4

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated Apr 20, 2025 9:15 AM ET

The 2025 NFL Draft is four days away, and the Patriots hold the fourth pick for the first time since 1994 when they selected defensive end Willie McGinest. This year, they’ve been linked to these prospects.

OT Will Campbell | LSU

Last offseason, New England took North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye third overall in the draft. This year, Patriots.com writer Mike "Deuce" Dussault thinks they’ll get him some protection by adding Campbell.

Widely considered the best offensive lineman in the draft, the 6-foot-6, 319-pound tackle allowed just two sacks in 994 pass-blocking snaps over the past two seasons and finished 2024 as a first-team All-American, sharing the SEC Jacobs Blocking Trophy with Texas left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr.

While much has been made about his arm length (32 ⅝ inches), Campbell received the second-highest score for an offensive lineman at the NFL Scouting Combine with athleticism Dussault calls "historic."

According to his relative athletic score (RAS), Campbell shows elite speed and explosiveness, the 15th-highest athletic score out of 1,508 offensive tackle prospects since 1987, which bodes well for his NFL career.

CB/WR Travis Hunter | Colorado

This year, Patriots insider Phil Perry put New England’s future in the hands of the fans by hosting a live, interactive mock draft as part of his "The Next Pats Podcast." Polls were used to determine each selection, with Hunter receiving 84 percent of the votes to become the team’s next first-round pick.

Travis Hunter was surrounded by FOUR defenders before jumping up and making this catch pic.twitter.com/z06MlXewd2
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 16, 2024

Many mock drafts have New England taking the Heisman-winning CB/WR, and although he was listed as a cornerback at the NFL Scouting Combine, he plans on catching passes in the NFL.

"They say nobody has ever done it the way that I do it, but I tell them I'm just different. I'm a different person," Hunter told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine. "I want to play 100 percent (on both sides of the ball), but it's up to the organization."

More recently, the 6-foot, 188-pound phenom said he’d rather quit than concentrate on one side of the ball.

"It's never playing football again," he told CBS Sports. "Because I've been doing it my whole life, and I love being on the football field."

New England is in no position to argue after riding the league’s worst passing offense to a 4-13 record last season. Meanwhile, Hunter had 96 receptions for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns and led the FBS with 21 catches of 20-plus yards last season.

He also had 35 tackles and four interceptions as a defender, which should please former Patriots linebacker and new head coach Mike Vrabel.

RB Ashton Jeanty | Boise State

Hunter would be nice, but it’s all about the stats for CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani, who considers Jeanty’s 2024 season one of the best rushing campaigns in college football history.

Not only did the 5-foot-9, 215-pound ball-carrier rush for 2,601 yards with 170 missed tackles last season, but he also rushed for 100 yards or more in all 14 games played, and his 13 rushes of 50 or more yards were more than any other FBS team.

The Patriots haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Rhamondre Stevenson ran for 1,040 yards in 2022. Stevenson remains with the team but averaged a career-low 3.9 yards per carry while Jeanty averaged a career-high seven yards per carry with Boise State last season.

Bruce Ewing

Bruce Ewing is 183 pounds of twisted steel and Happy Meals. His work has appeared on Yardbarker, 5th Down Fantasy, Inside the Iggles and MSN. Give a Philly fan a break and follow him on Twitter/X at @fantasybruce.

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