The New England Patriots can go in a variety of different directions with the fourth overall pick of the NFL Draft, but one of their veterans is making it clear who he wants.
While Travis Hunter, Abdul Carter and Will Campbell are the most popular names associated with the Patriots at No. 4, one player is starting to build some steam: running back Ashton Jeanty.
As a matter of fact, New England wide receiver Kendrick Bourne was spending some time with the Boise State star this week, and he posted a photo of the two together on social media. Not only that, but he posted a pretty telling caption.
In recent years, running backs have no longer been viewed as top draft picks, but the 2024 NFL campaign may have changed things.
With Saquon Barkley spearheading the Philadelphia Eagles' run to a Super Bowl, teams may now be more willing to build their offense around strong rushing attacks, so we cannot rule out the possibility that the Pats could take Jeanty with their first-round pick.
Jeanty is coming off of a monster 2024 campaign in which he racked up 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns on the ground, finishing 28 yards shy of breaking Barry Sanders' single-season NCAA record.
Of course, Bourne also has his own personal reasons as to why he would want the Patriots to select Jeanty over someone like Hunter, who is a wide receiver himself and would push Bourne further down the depth chart.
Bourne joined the Patriots in 2021 and was a significant part of their offense during his debut campaign, catching 55 passes for 800 yards and five touchdowns. Since then, however, he hasn't been as productive, and he tore his ACL midway through 2023.
We'll see what New England does in a few weeks.
