The New England Patriots have struggled for years at two of the NFL’s most important offensive positions: left tackle and No. 1 wide receiver.
On the eve of Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Patriots are inexplicably still searching for answers at both of those spots.
The team did make a move to support new franchise quarterback Drake Maye this offseason by signing veteran WR Stefon Diggs to a three-year, $63.5 million contract. Diggs, 31, has been a legit WR1 throughout his career, especially during his four years with Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, but he’s attempting a comeback from a torn ACL in 2025, and it remains to be seen how much gas he has left in the tank.
The Pats are so desperate for a left tackle that they’re widely expected to use this year’s No. 4 overall pick on LSU’s Will Campbell, who most scouts project as a future guard in the NFL. New England would still be hunting a wide receiver if that scenario plays out, and Andrew Harbaugh of USA TODAY’s Vikings Wire sees them making a bold trade back into Round 1 to land Tetairoa McMillan, the superstar prospect from the Arizona Wildcats.
Harbaugh predicts the Patriots will send a massive haul of draft picks — Nos. 38 (second round), 106 (fourth round), 154 (fifth round) and a 2026 third-rounder — to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for the 24th overall pick, but only if McMillian slides to that spot:
“If Arizona’s playmaking wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan falls in the first round, for whatever reason, someone may want to make a move for him,” Harbaugh wrote. “The Patriots desperately need a playmaker for their quarterback, Drake Maye. If they can pair him with Will Campbell and McMillan, they would be the biggest winners of round one. The issue here is moving out of round one to pick 38 is farther back than they may want, but it may help them get that extra third in 2026; perhaps they even get a second out of it.”
New England holds nine total selections in this draft (more than double of Minnesota’s four selections) so a bold move back into Round 1 could be in the cards. Dropping 14 spots would be less than ideal for the Vikings, but a move like this would instantly restock their draft board in the middle rounds — which is considered to be the sweet spot of this year’s draft — and the chance to add a top-100 pick in 2026 would be the icing on the cake.
McMillan would arguably be New England’s most highly-touted rookie receiver since Terry Glenn (1996). He posted back-to-back 80-catch, 1,300-yard seasons with 18 combined receiving touchdowns from 2023-24, and would slot in as an elite, Day 1 boundary target for Maye with a similar profile to future Hall of Fame WR Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The sticking point here? McMillan could easily go inside the top 15 picks of this draft. He’s too elite of a prospect, in a poor wide receiver class, to drop all the way to Minnesota’s spot at No. 24 overall. It’s unlikely that happens, and if it does, the Vikings would have a dream situation on their hands with WR-needy teams like the Patriots looking to trade up.
