7-round mock draft: Patriots shore up Drake Maye’s blindside

NFL Draft week is finally here! Before diving into what will be my sixth full seven-round New England Patriots mock draft of the offseason, a sincere thank you for following along through all of these.

As a reminder, I never pick the same player twice, so it’s a whole new crop of prospects this time around. Buckle up for this one, because we’re going BIG on this final mock.

This time around, I will be using the rankings from Arif Hasan’s Top-300 Consensus Big Board next to each of the players drafted. Also, my previous mock drafts can be found here: Bye Week | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0

Round 1

1-4: OT Armand Membou (Missouri | No. 6). The Patriots have a lot of needs on the team, but none are larger than left tackle. Vederian Lowe has gotten better every year, but he hasn’t proven himself a starter-caliber tackle in this league, so you need a replacement. The problem is that this year there is no sure-fire first left tackle like Joe Alt was last year (although he’s currently playing right tackle for the Chargers).

So, what you are choosing from at the top is a dominant left tackle with shorter arms, or a dominant right tackle that might be able to make the move over to the left side. Both Will Campbell and Armand Membou put on an athletic show at the Scouting Combine, and, because of that, both RAS scores are all-time good.

In this mock, though, I’m going with Membou, partly because the transition to left tackle seems to be possible with a guy as athletic and physical as he is. The plan here is to draft him and then move him over to the left. Even if the transition doesn’t work out, you still at worst have Morgan Moses’s replacement on the right.

.@MizzouFootball OT Armand Membou has all the potential to be the next great tackle in the NFL @armandmembou

: 2025 #NFLDraft – April 24-26 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC

: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Tp5CT7i6LO — NFL (@NFL) April 15, 2025

Membou is a little on the short side, but he has long enough arms, and you see him use his size very well on tape. He might actually be the higher-floor and higher-ceiling player compared to Campbell, because, even though you don’t know if he can play left tackle, you know he can play right tackle, which is a much more important position than guard (which Campbell, if forced to change positions at the next level, has never even played).

When you consider all the options, Membou is a smart pick at No. 4 overall. You have to give Drake Maye the best chance to succeed, and to do that he needs protection and weapons. One of those things gets a big boost with this first pick.

Round 2

2-38: CB Benjamin Morrison (Notre Dame | No. 44). Morrison is a prospect that not enough people are talking about. I believe that if he didn’t injure his hip last year, ending his season in Week 7, that he would have almost certainly been a first-round pick.

He is a true lockdown man defender, who shows physicality in the run game and a good ability to process space and leverage in zone defense. Ultimately, Morrison’s strength is that he can do everything. Want him to play man dominant? He can lock down receivers with the best of them. Want him to play zone defense? His instincts and feel are some of the best in this draft. Want him to come up and play the run? He is more than willing to throw his body around, and routinely plays far bigger than his size.

Notre Dame CB Benjamin Morrison… I forgot how much I loved his ‘23 tape. Here’s 5 plays vs. OSU ‘23. Step-for step w/ MHJ but gives one up. Then watch how he responds on the rest of game!

Not biggest, nor fastest. But DAMN good football player. Instincts, leverage, ball… pic.twitter.com/oxvBCKxU2S — Todd McShay (@McShay13) February 24, 2025

The Patriots already have two very good cornerbacks in Christian Gonzalez and free agency pickup Carlton Davis, but the value of taking a player of Morrison’s caliber in the second round is too good to pass up.

Round 3

3-69: G Marcus Mbow (Purdue | No. 58). Mbow primarily played right tackle at Purdue, but he is going to move inside in the NFL. He plays with a nasty streak, and is known for rag-dolling defenders. The physicality he plays with will certainly translate inside, and he should be a natural fit at guard, even though he hasn’t played it much. He did also rep at center at the Senior Bowl, so that’s a place where he could give some position flexibility, if necessary.

The Patriots aren’t looking for that from him though. They need a starter at left guard, and Mbow looks like he might be up to the task from Day 1.

Every Marcus Mbow knockdown from the 2024 season pic.twitter.com/ry3bhn9dXb — James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) January 12, 2025

3-77: WR Kyle Williams (Washington State | No. 91). The Patriots already helped protect Drake Maye with their first and third picks, and now they give him a weapon with their fourth. They might have a lot of bodies at the receiver position, but they are lacking the top-end speed at the position, which is where Williams comes in.

He has the ability to win in the slot, but I think he can play outside at times as well. A versatile piece to move around the offense, who can stretch the field for Drake Maye, and open up more underneath for guys like DeMario Douglas, Hunter Henry, and Austin Hooper? The Patriots would likely sign up for that, and that’s what they should be getting with Williams.

I think the most underrated player in the draft class rn is WSU WR Kyle Williams

Easy separator at every level of the defense

Elite juice. Fastest WR @seniorbowl (21.36 MPH)

+ YAC...20 broken tackles on 70 catches in 2024 pic.twitter.com/LlHbYxTSBC — Mike Renner (@mikerenner_) February 18, 2025

Round 4

4-106: DT Vernon Broughton (Texas | No. 139). As much as the Patriots have invested into their defensive front seven this offseason, they still need some help and could really use more explosive players along the defensive line. That is exactly what Broughton brings to the table.

He has some things to work on in the run game, and his technique isn’t the best at times, but his first step is deadly and he should be able to contribute on Day 1 as a rotational piece inside. With an interior of Christian Barmore, Milton Williams, Keion White and now Broughton, the Patriots can make passing downs a nightmare for their opponents.

The more popular #Texas DL is Alfred Collins, but I’m equally impressed with his teammate Vernon Broughton

▪️Quick 1st step off the ball

▪️Consistent disruption

▪️Handles double teams well

▪️Active/accurate hands

: Here were 5 of his best reps vs A&M, including 2 sacks pic.twitter.com/JHBZh7QkuT — The Draft Room (@TheDraftRoomNFL) April 11, 2025

Round 5

5-144: C Drew Kendall (Boston College | No. 198). You know we had to get a BC guy on here eventually. Much has been made about the relationship that Mike Vrabel has with Bill O’Brien, and I do think that could have an impact on some of the in-draft decision making this year. This is where Kendall comes in as a potential long-term solution at the center position.

Kendall plays with some really nice athleticism. He is a fluid mover, and also plays the game incredibly smart. He looks like he could be a starter for a long time in the NFL, and we all know that his dad did so at guard. If there is a player from BC that fits what the Patriots need and has real upside, I believe it’s Kendall, so this is an easy pick for me here.

Boston College C Drew Kendall was incredibly impressive on Day 1 of #ShrineBowl practices.

Here he is showing excellent hand placement and hip flexibility against Maryland DT Jordan Phillips. Phillips has been killing it so far but stalled out against Kendall a few times. #NFL… pic.twitter.com/QWW0KkxnCL — Matt Wilson (@CoachWilson66) January 26, 2025

5-171: RB Jarquez Hunter (Auburn | No. 167). The Patriots have been talking about adding a running back all offseason, and this is a super deep class.

Hunter ran a 4.44-second 40-yard dash at the Combine and had a 10-foot broad jump to go along with it. He is most certainly a speed back fitting what New England is looking for. He’s not the most polished receiver coming out of the backfield, but he looked fine doing it and should improve over time. He also showed really good vision and burst at Auburn, and should step in and contribute on passing downs right away.

Auburn RB Jarquez Hunter #27 is a compact, smooth accelerator with good patience to let plays unfold. When he's getting up to speed, tacklers from the side fall off of his frame with subtle body positioning from Hunter. He breaks tackles and finishes runs very well. I like him pic.twitter.com/xpaEHoIRGq — Daniel Harms (@InHarmsWay19) April 3, 2025

Round 7

TRADE: Patriots trade 7-220 to New Orleans for 7-248 and 7-254: I’m sure there’s a totally reasonable explanation for this trade that doesn’t have to do with me being unable, or unwilling, to choose between two prospects in the final round. I can’t come up with any right now, but this is my last mock and I shouldn’t have to choose, so I won’t.

7-238: LB Shaun Dolac (Buffalo | No. 261). The Patriots defense is going to look a lot different under Mike Vrabel than it did under Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo. Belichick liked thick linebackers who were big enough to take on offensive linemen in the run game, and help out a little in the pass game. Vrabel is looking for the more sideline-to-sideline defenders; smaller frame, but more athletic.

Dolac fits that mold perfectly.

The Buffalo prodcut is undersized at only 6-foot-1 and 221 pounds, but he can move, running a 4.63-second 40, and clocking at 6.93 seconds in the three-cone drill. He also plays violently at the line of scrimmage, and is significantly better against the run than you would think a guy his size would be.

He’s a little smaller, and it’s definitely weird looking at guys his size as off-linebackers, but he’s basically the same size as free agency signing Robert Spillane. This is what a linebacker looks like in Vrabel’s system.

7-248: K Ryan Fitzgerald (Florida State | N/A). The Patriots have both worked out and met with a bunch of kickers, and Fitzgerald was one of them. It is pretty clear that they need a new kicker, as they only have John Parker Romo on the roster right now.

Grabbing a kicker at the end of Day 3 therefore makes a ton of sense: you don’t have to contend with any other teams trying to bring them in as free agents. There are a few good prospects available, but Fitzgerald has one of the best legs, made a bunch of pressure kicks, and, even though he went to FSU, had some experience kicking in cold weather games on the road.

When you’re in Ireland, you hit the McGregor walk @FSUFootball K Ryan Fitzgerald hits a 59-yd field goal to end the half! pic.twitter.com/uCfwgUF3bf — Kicker Update (@kickerupdate) August 24, 2024

7-254: OL Thomas Perry (Middlebury | N/A). It’s the last pick of my mock draft season. You want to get nuts? Let’s get nuts.

Thomas Perry is a fun prospect from a Division III school in Connecticut. He doesn’t have a huge frame, but he plays with an enormous amount of power, and earned the nickname “Thomas the Tank” by a few media members at the East-West Shrine Bowl. That’s right, he was the only D-III player invited to the Shrine Bowl, and he held his own in practice all week.

Division-III Middlebury vs. Georgia

Advantage: OG/C Thomas Perry@BigDuke50 calls him "Thomas the Tank" bc he's one of the strongest players in the draft. Tireless worker. Just needs reps and development. Has improved each day at EW practices. pic.twitter.com/FfgQeL3lGA — Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 28, 2025

Perry repped primarily at center during the week of practice and in the game, but he played guard during his time in Middlebury. The Patriots are desperate for help along the offensive line, and, even though he’s the fourth O-lineman taken in this mock, I think it makes a ton of sense. He has all the makings of a super sub along the interior, and we know how valuable that can be to any team — especially one like the Patriots.

Click here to read article