The 2025 NFL Draft is right around the corner, and with it comes various buzz and rumors about how teams will attack their plans down the board.
For the New England Patriots, they're no exception, with some new interesting chatter as to how they'll approach the mid-rounds in this year's class.
According to The Athletic's Chad Graff, the Patriots could look to target a running back as early as round three, depending on how the board falls.
"This is an odd draft class in terms of how good and deep it is at positions (like running back and defensive tackle) that aren’t seen as super valuable. Still, given the depth, league sources expect the Patriots to pick players from both positions as early as Round 3," Graff wrote. "At running back, the Patriots are looking for a speedy complement to Rhamondre Stevenson. Some mid-round options for the Pats who ran sub-4.45 40s include UCF’s RJ Harvey, Georgia’s Trevor Etienne, Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten, SMU’s Brashard Smith and Texas’ Jaydon Blue."
While the Patriots running back room does house a decent one-two punch in Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson, in the eyes of Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels, this offense could use another addition into the backfield as a young, explosive option to turn to and develop for the coming season.
However, not only will it be an area of focus for the Patriots to attack, but it could be a priority. This is a class touted with many talented running back prospects, and with that in mind, New England could look to take advantage.
With speedy and versatile options in the passing game across the board, where the Patriots would be looking to target one, the skillset they offer could be the perfect counter behind Drake Maye to both Stevenson and Gibson.
Keep a close eye on how the Patriots take on day three of the draft for the offensive side of the ball, when the second day of the draft starts up at 7 PM ET on Friday.
