Patriots Listed Ridiculously Low In Post-Draft Power Rankings

The New England Patriots had a generally praised 2025 NFL Draft. With their first three selections, they improved multiple positions on the offensive side of the ball. They brought in LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell, who proclaimed he would "fight and die" protecting Drake Maye — welcome aboard, big lad. They also drafted Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson and Washington State wide receiver Kyle Williams to give the offense more explosiveness in both the run and pass game.

Despite this, the Bleacher Report NFL staff ranked the Patriots at No. 26 in their post-NFL Draft power rankings.

"The New England Patriots appear to have found Tom Brady’s successor in second-year pro Drake Maye," the B/R team writes. "And the team was wildly aggressive in the offseason in trying to build around the young signal-caller. The team gave big bucks to wide receiver Stefon Diggs to serve as New England’s new No. 1 receiver. Spent its first three draft picks on offensive tackle Will Campbell, running back TreVeyon Henderson and wide receiver Kyle Williams. And handed out the biggest contract of the offseason to a player who switched teams when it signed defensive tackle Milton Williams."

Gary Davenport adds that it will take a big leap forward from Maye and the Patriots as a whole for New England to be able to even sniff the postseason, despite all of the changes they've made.

"There probably isn’t a team in the league that underwent a bigger transformation in the offseason than the Patriots, but on some level that just goes to show how much work the Pats had to do to become relevant in the AFC East again," Davenport writes. "The Patriots should be an improved team in 2025, but it will take a massive step forward from both Maye and his teammates for New England to actually matter in the division."

In an AFC that is far more top-heavy and thin compared to the NFC, the Patriots have as good a chance as any team to claim a Wild Card spot. With a proven winner at head coach, a quarterback that looks to have all the tools to be a franchise guy, and all the improvements they made on either side of the ball, who's to say they can't get there in Year One of this regime?

Make sure you bookmark New England Patriots on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!