Patriots Making This ‘Bold’ Move At No. 4 Isn’t Craziest Idea

At this point, no one really knows anything. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s speculate about a fun, “bold” direction the Patriots could go at the 2025 NFL Draft.

It’s becoming more and more likely, it seems, that New England stays put at No. 4 and drafts LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell on Thursday night — despite his flaws. New England reportedly has an “infatuation” with the tackle, who they also “love” and “adore.”

Here’s something to wonder, though: Doth protest too much?

The Patriots’ biggest need is offensive line, so Campbell makes sense, especially given all of the other factors to consider in front and behind New England on the draft board. But given what we know about how new coach Mike Vrabel’s teams have been built and played in Tennessee, shouldn’t Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty be a consideration?

NFL Media’s Chad Reuter thinks so. In a staff story of bold predictions Wednesday on NFL.com, Reuter forecasted Jeanty would be off the board in the first five picks — before he gets to presumed landing spot, Las Vegas, at No. 6. That reinforces a take Reuter had last week in a mock draft where he had the Patriots taking the explosive running back with the fourth overall pick.

“(Vrabel) knows the value that a premier back can bring, having watched Derrick Henry carry his previous teams to the playoffs,” Reuter wrote on NFL.com. “While Jeanty’s not as big as Henry, he has considerable power through contact and the burst to create explosive plays in the run game.”

If the Patriots aren’t able to land one of the two supposedly can’t-miss prospects in this draft — Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter — Jeanty might represent the next best available player. NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah ranks him the third-best player in the draft, as do ESPN and Pro Football Focus. Both ESPN and PFF compare him to Alvin Kamara.

Yes, the Patriots have Rhamondre Stevenson on the roster. But between the fumbles and his age (27), he’s not the type of player that should keep the Patriots from at least discussing the move.

It’s also becoming increasingly common to see major assets committed to running backs. The Philadelphia Eagles just won the Super Bowl in large part thanks to Saquon Barkley. Philly backed up the Brinks truck for the former division rival, who is living proof you can use a top pick on a running back, and he can live up to the hype. With defenses finally catching up to high-flying offenses, there has been a natural swing back toward the ground game in recent years, too. The Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers also got great returns on investments following their respective signings of Henry and Josh Jacobs last season.

Ultimately, drafting Jeanty is probably still a little bit of a luxury for the Patriots based on the holes they have on their roster. This is also considered a pretty deep draft for running backs, so they could find value in later rounds.

But if New England commits to drafting the best available player at No. 4, there’s definitely a case to be made that distinction belongs to Jeanty.

What do you think? Are you open to the idea of drafting Ashton Jeanty at No. 4? Sound off in the comments.