Patriots Get Extremely Lucky In Best-Case NFL Draft Scenario

The New England Patriots are one of the most intriguing spots in the 2025 NFL Draft. Sitting with the No. 4 overall pick, New England is the team everyone is circling as a team prime to trade down should there be another squad looking to move into the top five for a quarterback.

While it may be difficult to see the Patriots landing the dual-threat star from Colorado, Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated says that is the absolute dream scenario for New England.

"Yes, earlier I had a dream scenario with the Patriots trading the No. 4 pick with Hunter still on the board," Manzano writes. "But even if they don’t get a hard-to-refuse deal in this very unlikely scenario, coach Mike Vrabel would still jump for joy if the Patriots come away with Hunter. Imagine Hunter being paired with Christian Gonzalez to cover wideouts while also catching bombs from Maye in the same game. Joe Milton III’s impressive Week 18 performance in a meaningless game against the Bills really hurt the Patriots’ odds of landing Hunter. Makes sense why he was traded to Dallas."

It looks more and more apparent that the Cleveland Browns favor Hunter over Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, meaning the Patriots would likely go with LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell or Carter if the New York Giants don't take him with the No. 3 overall pick.

While the dream scenario truly is landing Hunter, the Patriots should consider potential trade downs, especially if the New Orleans Saints come calling to move up from the No. 9 spot. Should that be something the Patriots do, they'll still have their pick of multiple potential stars while also gaining even more draft capital to use to build for the future or trade for a proven player.