NFL Rumors: Patriots ‘Considered’ This Option For Second Round

The Patriots didn’t see quick results with their second-round pick last year, but they could redeem themselves with a dynamic selection in this year’s NFL draft.

New England selected Ja’Lynn Polk with the No. 37 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and it was a rough rookie season for the Washington product. The pick was made even worse due to Ladd McConkey’s standout season; the Los Angeles Chargers traded up with the Patriots to select the wide receiver.

A new regime combined with the lack of production from last year’s rookie wide receiver class might mean Mike Vrabel’s side selects a wide receiver in the 2025 NFL Draft. That’s why the Patriots reportedly are “open to trading” Kayshon Boutte.

According to The Athletic’s Chad Graff, New England would like to add “an outside-the-numbers, big-bodied receiver.”

“One option they’ve considered, according to a team source, is going after Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins in the second round,” Graff wrote in a column Thursday. “Higgins is 6-foot-4, 214 pounds, and ran a 4.47-second 40 — the kind of height/weight/speed profile the Patriots lack at the position.”

Higgins stood out in the Senior Bowl, and he became a popular choice for the Patriots on Day 2 of the NFL draft.

New England is projected to draft Will Campbell with the fourth overall pick, and if it selects Higgins in the second round, that would go a long way in helping out Drake Maye in his sophomore season.