Patriots Reportedly Expected to Target OL in NFL Draft Amid Hunter, Carter Rumors

The New England Patriots may not earn a lot of style points with how they utilize the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported Wednesday that head coach Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf, their executive vice president of player personnel, are expected to look at the offensive line on Day 1.

She wrote the idea of moving up a spot or two in order to land Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter or Penn State edge-rusher Abdul Carter is "appealing." Sacrificing draft capital to that end isn't the best approach, though, when the Pats have a variety of needs to address.

LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell was the pick in Bleacher Report's most recent mock draft, and that's also where The Ringer's Todd McShay had the Patriots going in his newest mock.

"New head coach Mike Vrabel fell in love with Campbell after meeting him multiple times during the draft process," McShay reported. "Campbell’s recall and football intelligence sold Vrabel on making him the leader of the Patriots' OL room. There's even a report that Drake Maye knows Campbell is the pick."

Campbell is the No. 7 overall player on B/R's big board. While he's listed as an interior lineman, he could play inside or outside at the next level.

The early returns from Maye were encouraging. He threw for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 13 appearances, and he finished 17th in QBR (58.6) at ESPN.com.

The Patriots did the hard part by finding a good long-term solution at quarterback. Now, the challenge is putting Maye in a position to thrive.

Bolstering his O-line would do just that after he was sacked 34 times as a rookie.