Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - FINAL Mock Draft For The 2025 New England Patriots!

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Patriots are on the clock and we tell you who we would pick at number four. That's where we start on this episode of Locked On Patriots. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. What's up, Patriots fans? I'm your host, Nick Cattles, born and raised in New England. Your New England Patriots expert, host of the Everything Pats podcast, co-host of the Greg Bedard Patriots podcast with Nick Cattles

Starting point is 00:00:36 and also a sports talk show host veteran. On today's episode, we mock draft the Patriots picks during the critical second day of the NFL draft and we've got some late round gems to chew on. But first we start with who the Patriots should pick this Thursday night at number four. We appreciate you joining the show making us your first listen and for being an everydayer the Lockdown Patriots podcast is a proud partner of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:01:06 Check out the Locked On NFL mock draft that has been recently released. Today's episode brought to you by the all new 2025 Nissan Armada. Stay tuned for the Armada player of the week later in the show. Between free agency and this upcoming draft, it's possible that the Patriots could land seven to eight starters on this roster for the 2025 season. You look at guys like Carlton Davis and Milton Williams and Morgan Moses and Robert Spillane. Those free agent additions are going to be starters on this team. If you could land another two or three guys

Starting point is 00:01:47 that start day one for you out of this draft coming up this weekend, then that is a fantastic off season for a team that is trying to rebuild their roster. And after back to back four win seasons, not only rebuild the roster, but of course upgrade the roster in several spots. Now for this mock draft that I'm going to give you it's my final mock draft it's my one and only

Starting point is 00:02:13 mock draft I do one mock draft every year. There are no trades in this mock draft so I don't sit there and say oh the Patriots could move down to nine or 10 and drafted. This is a no trade mock. And I want to keep it as realistic as possible. So I pulled the mock draft database consensus as to where guys are going. And then I use that as my guide to see who I could get at four and 38 and 69 and 77. So let's get it started. The number four pick in the 2025 NFL draft for the New England Patriots is Will Campbell. Now I know many of you will sit there and go, oh my God, I can't believe he drafted Will Campbell. He drafted a guard.

Starting point is 00:02:59 How do you draft a guard at number four overall, Nick? You're crazy. I'm not an offensive line guru I'm not an aficionado to tell you the difference between tackle and guard watch a guy that plays At the collegiate level and tell you with total conviction that guy's a tackle that guy's a guard I could talk about the measurements. We all know the measurements. We know the prerequisites to play the positions in the league But i'm not an official expert when I talk about offensive line play. I'm not an expert left tackle versus left guard for Will Campbell. So I go with the vast majority of experts, sources and other people that have been talking about Will Campbell and

Starting point is 00:03:39 whether or not they believe that he's a tackle. Here's a list. I've been keeping track. I've been keeping a list as far as who believes Campbell is a guard, who believes Campbell is a tackle in the NFL. Analysts, pundits, experts, here are at least some of the people that say, Will Campbell is a bona fide left tackle

Starting point is 00:04:01 and will be a bona fide left tackle in the NFL Mel Kuyper, Dane Bruegler, Daniel Jeremiah, Field Yates, Bucky Brooks, Evan Lazar, Phil Perry, Todd McShea, Steve Mensch, Nate Tice, Greg Bedard, Taylor Kiles. Every single one of those individuals one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve. Twelve names I just gave you all believe that Will Campbell is a left tackle in the NFL. All know more about the offensive line than I know. So if I see twelve of some of the best analysts and pundits and experts as we get close to draft time, it's not universal, not every single person agrees, but we've got a dozen legit people saying Will Campbell is a left tackle in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:04:57 And there are even more stories out there with sources and scouts in the NFL and front office executives who say Will Campbell's a left tackle. If that many people that know more than I do about left tackle play believe that Will Campbell's a left tackle, I'm going to take their word for it. Doesn't mean they're right. But if the vast majority of people are telling me that's where he's going to play in the NFL and they believe he can handle it, then I'm drafting Will Campbell as a left tackle at number four overall. It's your number one need on this roster. Nobody is comfortable bringing Viderian Lowe back as your starting left tackle.

Starting point is 00:05:35 I don't think anybody is. I don't even think Viderian Lowe is comfortable returning as the starting left tackle for this football team. And some people are going to sit there and tell me, oh, Nick, it's a reach, it's a reach to draft Will Campbell at number four. A lot of reaches are going to happen in this draft, folks. Usually, you would look at number four overall and say I'm drafting a tackle like Joe Alt,

Starting point is 00:05:58 who has all pro kind of potential and a lot less questions about several different things. But when you're looking at this draft class, kind of potential and a lot less questions about several different things. But when you're looking at this draft class, when you're looking at this specific draft and the options that you have, Will Campbell, for the vast majority of people out there that have done this for their livelihoods, Will Campbell is the number one offensive lineman in this draft. And for many of those people, he's an offensive tackle, he's a left tackle. So in this draft, when you're talking about drafting at number four,

Starting point is 00:06:30 you're going to draft somebody who might have been drafted at 10, 11, 12 last year, because that draft, frankly, was better at the top. So I'm not worried about the reach in this year's draft. So why did I draft Campbell at four? We talked about the need. How about positional value? Left tackle, it's a premium position. And if I'm drafting at four, then I want to draft a premium position. Doesn't mean I'm going to reach just to draft a premium position. But if somebody is there who is regarded as a top five or six or seven player in this draft and that person has that positional value, I'm fine with picking him.

Starting point is 00:07:12 Positional versatility. Now, I'm drafting Campbell as a left tackle, but I understand if Campbell doesn't work out as a tackle in two or three years down the road, you slide him inside when you can find somebody who could play left tackle better than he can. Then I think he brings pro bowl, maybe even some have said all pro capability at left guard if you have to move them there. I look at his makeup, he's got it in spades. He's a leader, his work ethic, he plays with effort and finish.

Starting point is 00:07:41 He's unbelievably mature beyond his years. Speaking of his years, he's only 21 years old. He just turned 21 in January. So if he stays healthy and he's been unbelievably durable, didn't miss a start at LSU, if he could stay healthy, you have a guy who's going to be a staple of your offensive line for the next 10, 12, 13, 14 years. Who gets it on the field, who gets it off the field, super high IQ football wise. I was reading today some people saying that speaking with Will Campbell during this pre-draft process, sources within the league, I saw one quote say, it was like talking to a head coach. So when you look at all of the things we've talked about

Starting point is 00:08:31 leading into this draft, Campbell checks almost every single box, and you can't afford to swing and miss that four. You just can't. You cannot afford to swing and miss at this pick. So you could sit there and tell me this is a safe pick. You can tell me that Will Campbell doesn't have as high of a ceiling as somebody else like Armand Membou.

Starting point is 00:08:53 You can tell me all of those things and I understand. That's a debate, we go back and forth. But I do not want to swing and miss at number four. And in this draft, Will Campbell is worthwhile at number four. And I don't think you swing and miss on Campbell because even if it's worst case scenario and he ends up being a left guard, I think he's your left guard for the next decade. And in this draft, drafting somebody who could play tackle for a couple of years, even if you get to slide them inside the garden, that's the worst case scenario.

Starting point is 00:09:22 Then I think that helps you overall as a football team. And if you don't draft a left tackle in the first round, you better find a way to get that guy later in the first round or early second round. If you don't get him at four, you got to find a way to find that left tackle in this draft and it gets exponentially more difficult to find that guy in the draft. If you don't pick him. When you have a chance to pick him, the best way to find your future left tackle is spending your first pick in this draft on said left tackle.

Starting point is 00:09:58 So we've selected Will Campbell at number four. We will tell you how we follow that up at number 38 next as we continue with today's episode of lockdown patriots Part of the lockdown podcast network your team every day Did you know your fire TV is also an Xbox turn any TV into your gaming and entertainment hub with fire TV stick 4k devices no No console required. Just grab your paired controller, subscribe or sign into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with EA Play included and you're ready to play. Dive into hundreds of premium titles from EA Sports, College Football 25, to Call of Duty, Black Ops 6 and Avowed as easily as

Starting point is 00:10:43 you stream your favorite shows. It's gaming made simple and it's all on your fire TV. And with 4K streaming, I do this. My wife, Kelly, does this. We could watch more than one and a half million movies and TV episodes from your favorite subscribe services like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney, plus Max and more. Head to Amazon dot com slash firetv locked on to get started. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller required available on select devices,

Starting point is 00:11:13 including Fire TV Stick 4K second gen, Fire TV Stick 4K Max first and second gen, and Fire TV Cube third gen. and Fire TV Cube third gen. Day two in the 2025 NFL draft is huge. This specific draft, this specific year, rounds two and rounds three are huge because you could build legitimate starter depth on day two. So when we look at the Patriots, picks 38, 69, and 77, those three picks, you don't throw those away.

Starting point is 00:11:50 You can find legitimate NFL starters with all three of those picks. And when you look at this specific draft on day two and you look at the positions that are the deepest, we're talking about defensive end, we're talking about cornerback, we're talking about running back. You could even fight about tight end. Interior defensive line. There is good depth at positions that we should all consider, if not thin, in need of help for the 2025 Patriots. Day two is going to be huge in this draft. It's going to be critical for the Patriots to at least hit a couple of doubles on day two. And fine guys,

Starting point is 00:12:34 that can help you for the next five, six, seven, eight, hopefully fingers crossed, even 10 years. And at number 38, in my mock draft, my one and only mock draft this year, I am drafting Donovan Jackson, offensive tackle slash offensive guard from The Ohio State University. Donovan Jackson, very good in pass protection. Let's start there. If I want to protect Drake May, I want a number of guys up front that can pass protect. And if I draft Donovan Jackson following the draft of Will Campbell at number four, now you see the offensive line come together. Now that's the way to support your

Starting point is 00:13:20 young quarterback, to protect your young quarterback. The thing I love about Donovan Jackson amongst many things is the fact that he's versatile. We talk about positional versatility. We talked about it with Campbell at four. You can talk about it regarding Jackson at 38 Jackson. As I just mentioned, he played both guard and tackle at Ohio state. He started as a guard, that was his position. Josh Simmons got hurt last year. Jackson got moved out to left tackle and he was fine.

Starting point is 00:13:53 He was pretty darn good in pass protection given the change of position. So if I draft Campbell at four and then I draft Jackson at 38. Now I have two guys to fill two holes on the left side. Perfect world I've got Campbell at left tackle Jackson at left guard but just in case Campbell doesn't work out at tackle I'm protecting myself with Jackson. Jackson is somebody that could slide to the outside and play left tackle.

Starting point is 00:14:26 Both of those guys bring you positional versatility. You're trying to address two holes on the offensive line on the left side. You've got two really good prospects that play on the offensive line on the left side and they could both play either position. And I just love that idea of walking out of this draft, saying to myself, I've got somebody who's going to play left tackle. I've got somebody who's going to play left guard. And I feel like both these guys, they're NFL players for the next five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10 years.

Starting point is 00:15:03 And I don't have to worry about the left side of my offensive line because all I need to do Is have each guy work at one of those two positions and if that happens and I feel good Now as far as Jackson goes some more things that I like a lot about him We talk about maturity. We talk about experience Donovan Jackson played 53 games at Ohio State. That's a lot of football. Playing 53 games in the Big Ten at the reigning National Championship School means an awful lot. Maturity, experience. And when you win a national championship, we all know that means you played in some pretty pretty pretty big games thanks to Larry David. So Jackson has not only played 53 games in his college career he's played in several big games

Starting point is 00:15:54 including this last college football playoff run and think about it Jackson not only helped his team win a national championship he not only played in those big games, he was playing in those big games out of position. And he didn't get lost. He wasn't playing this quote unquote natural position. He's out there playing left tackle trying to win a national championship. And he played more than good enough to help his team do that. Big game experience, 53 games under the belt, playing in the big 10. You want to talk about intelligence. On the field, off the field intelligence.

Starting point is 00:16:37 Donovan Jackson's GPA at Ohio State was 3.85. So off the field, very, very smart individual. You're pulling a 385 GPA, you're doing pretty well for yourself. But on the field, he also showed tremendous IQ and tremendous responsibility to his team and accountability. He only had two flags thrown in his final 28 games. Imagine being penalized twice over your final 28 games. And as I just mentioned, a lot of those 28 games, a number of those 28 games were big games.

Starting point is 00:17:20 And there he is, only two penalties over his final 28 games. Remember last year in the train wreck it was with penalty flag after penalty flag being thrown on this Patriots offensive line, bring a guy in with his 3.85 GPA who committed only two penalties over his final 28 games, which really is his final two seasons at Ohio state, two flags thrown on him. And we want to talk about being a fit in the offensive line room. We want to talk about being somebody who follows along with the Mike Vrabel culture. That is not Evan Jackson. This is from Dane Bruegler of the Athletic, writing about Jackson. He's selfless, willingly returned to high school roots and played left tackle when injuries

Starting point is 00:18:06 hit Ohio State. He didn't have to. He could have made it a big deal. He could have complained. He could have convexed. He could have said, I'm not going to move out to left tackle. I'm a left guard. I've been a left guard my entire career here at Ohio State. I'm not moving now in my final year. I'm not kicking out to left tackle. Are you crazy? He didn't. He didn't do that. He embraced the idea. He embraced the role. Chip Kelly said this about Jackson because obviously Chip was his offensive coordinator last year at Ohio State. Quote, it's a credit to the type of person Donnie is, one of the true leaders on our team, one of the true leaders on our team. Positional versatility,

Starting point is 00:18:49 positional value, maturity, experience, big game experience, high IQ on and off the field, a culture fit in your room. And now think about this offensive line. You walk out of the first two rounds with two offensive linemen rated very, very highly within their positional group. If you want to play Jackson at left guard, which is what my plan would be here, he is one of two or three of the top guards in this draft.

Starting point is 00:19:27 And we talked about Will Campbell being near the top of the list at tackle if not at the top of the list of offensive tackles in this draft according to a dozen analysts and pundits and experts. And now you walk out of the first two rounds of this draft. And this is your offensive line for 2025. Will Campbell, Donovan Jackson, Garrett Bradbury, Mike Awenu and Morgan Moses. That is a legitimate NFL offensive line. And that is an offensive line that will help Drake May. And that's priority number one of this off season. My friends support the young quarterback. Campbell, Jackson, Bradbury, Owenu, Moses.

Starting point is 00:20:10 I'm ready day one with that O-line. All right, it's time to add to the defense after double dipping on the offensive line. We'll finish our mock draft next as we continue with today's episode of Locked On Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. The Armada Player of the Week is brought to you

Starting point is 00:20:32 by our friends at Nissan and the all-new 2025 Nissan Armada. Each week, we're taking a look at our draft prospects to pick one guy that stands apart, the guy we believe showcased the strength and power needed to push the Patriots forward as we look ahead to next season. And this week's Armada and clear cut player of the week is Ozzie Tripillo, offensive tackle from Boston College. Talk about dreaming big and going big like the Armada. Tripillo is 6'8", 320 pounds. He has the skill to

Starting point is 00:21:02 handle the heavy duty blocking at the right tackle spot in the NFL and he has enough capability and confidence to play the swing tackle position as a rookie. When it comes to the Nissan Armada, they say go forth and conquer and that's exactly what I think Ozzie Tripillo can do in New England. It's clear that our player of the week is out here ready to conquer the road ahead with confidence just like you can in the all new Nissan Armada or any of their outstanding vehicles. Take the Nissan Armada Rogue or Pathfinder and go find your next big adventure shop NissanUSA.com. I believe that third round picks in this draft will help make or break said draft. Once you get to the fourth round and beyond, you're talking about lottery tickets.

Starting point is 00:21:51 I mean, the fourth round, borderline lottery ticket territory. Fifth through the seventh round, throw a dart and hopefully you land somebody like Pop Douglas. But the Patriots need to hit on their picks. Rounds one, two, and three.ots need to hit on their picks, rounds one, two, and three. They need to hit on those picks. And if you hit at pick 69, or if you hit at pick 77, or both, that will help this draft tremendously. We'll look back.

Starting point is 00:22:18 If you draft like I have suggested in this mock draft, Will Campbell at four, Donovan Jackson at 38, and you come back and you hit at least one of your two third round picks, then you should feel really good about your 2025 NFL draft class. The third round could help make or break this class for the Patriots. So let's start with number 69. In my mock draft, Femi Oladejo. I'm drafting Femi Oladejo, defensive end out of UCLA. Let's start here.

Starting point is 00:22:51 Oladejo has played full time at edge for one season. So we're not talking about somebody who has, you know, the pristine approach on the field. Somebody that has no questions regarding whether or not he can play that position at a high level because he's new to this. So therefore, we're talking about big time potential. We don't really know if Oladejo could pull off being a full-time edge in the NFL, full-time edge in the NFL. But we know his one year at UCLA, he produced. He produced big time. And he showed that potential that he could make that leap to the NFL at one of the most premium positions in the league. Ola Dejo is also a crazy athlete. I don't know if you watched the combine,

Starting point is 00:23:42 he jumped out at me at the combine. He's just tremendous when you look at his athleticism, the ability of Oladejo to drop into coverage with his past at linebacker. Very, very explosive player. And when I look at what I need as a defense and what I want as a defense for the Patriots. I want explosion. I want athleticism. And all the day Joe brings both of those elements to the field of play. You put them on the edge and you let them lose. It's going to take them maybe a year or two. All the day Joe is not going to be at least I don't believe he's going to pop right off the bat again one year at edge at the college level.

Starting point is 00:24:27 He's going to need a year or two to show some polish and figure things out, come up with a rushing attack plan in the NFL. But he has that potential. He's got the body, he's got the length, he's got the athleticism. He has that potential. So Femi Oladejo, defensive end is my pick at number 69. And then I come back and at pick 77, I'm drafting Kyle Williams, wide receiver out of Washington state.

Starting point is 00:24:57 The Patriots now for a lot of years running have needed that X receiver, the guy that could play on the outside. And Williams is just that. Williams is an X. His skillset fits with what the Patriots need. Here's Dan Bruegler again from the athletic in his beast. Strengths as far as Kyle Williams, here are the strengths of Williams. And you tell me whether or not this sounds like a guy who could help the Patriots.

Starting point is 00:25:26 I just mentioned Femi Oladejo being explosive. Dan Bruegler talking about Kyle Williams, explosive, driving off the line of scrimmage. That first step explosion off the line of scrimmage. Varies his release package to, listen to to this shake defenders and get vertical. Do you want an explosive receiver? I want an explosive receiver that can play the X. Do you want an X receiver that is explosive and can shake defenders and get vertical? I would love that.

Starting point is 00:25:58 Another strength makes dynamic speed cuts to create separation out of breaks. Did I hear separation? Did I, did I, did I just hear separation? Did I read that off the page correctly? So we're talking about an X wide receiver who plays the outside, who's explosive, can shake guys, get vertical and create separation short area burst to skirt tacklers turn short gains in the big plays. Are we talking about YAK? a burst to skirt tacklers turn short gains in the big plays? Are we talking about Yak? I mean, this is hitting all the notes for what you want from a future Patriot wide receiver. Plays the X is explosive, gets vertical, can create separation,

Starting point is 00:26:41 turns something into nothing, short gains in the big plays, tracks the ball downfield and can take it out of the air. Somebody who can make tough catches. And here is the icing on the cake for Mike Vrabel. Kyle Williams, again, this is according to Dayne Bruegler, NFL scouts gave Williams strong character feedback based on how teammates felt about him. So explosive, vertical separator, turn short gains in the big plays, can pluck it out of the air and has a strong character teammates loved them. Give me Kyle Williams at 77. Be very happy.

Starting point is 00:27:23 All right. Let's run through the picks after the third round. So pick 106. I'm going with Trevor Etienne, running back out of Georgia. He took the last second top 30 visit here to Foxboro. So I'm going with Trevor Etienne at number 106, running back out of Georgia. There's your running back that we've all heard the Patriots want to draft. I'm going with that TN pick number 144 cornerback, Kobe Bryant, Kansas. Now this is somebody who could play the nickel back. He could play the slot. He can play inside. He could play outside. So again, positional versatility, positional

Starting point is 00:28:01 value. We heard Mike Vrabel talk about how crucial the nickel position is. You could play Marcus Jones there. Marcus Jones obviously has an injury history. Kobe Bryant at 144, 171. I'm picking Drew Kendall, center, Boston College. Back up Garrett Bradbury. Hopefully, he's your starter in 2026. Pick 220.

Starting point is 00:28:22 Andres Baragalas, kicker from Miami. You need competition at that spot. And then I finish with pick 238, Howard Cross. Yes, I snuck a Notre Dame player into the mix. Interior defensive lineman. He plays with a nonstop motor. He's a little bit smaller, but we know Terrell Williams and Mike Vrabel

Starting point is 00:28:43 can handle smaller interior defensive linemen. That's my mock draft. Will Campbell at four, Donovan Jackson at 38, Femi Oladejo at 69, Kyle Williams at 77. Then we've got Etienne Bryant, Kendall, Borregales, and Cross to finish things up. Speaking of finishing things up, that wraps up this edition of lockdown Patriots on tomorrow show. We'll talk prospect superlatives. Let me know your thoughts on today's topics. Reach out to me on Twitter at Nick C radio and don't forget to throw a comment in on the YouTube channel.

Starting point is 00:29:17 Thank you for making lockdown Patriots your first listen today for your second listen. Check out the lockdown NFL draft with Damien Parson and Keith Sanchez. Get the latest draft rankings, rumors and news every day. You can also check out the Lockdown Mock Draft that was released this week. Find both programs on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. Have a great day. I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you.

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Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - FINAL Mock Draft For The 2025 New England Patriots!

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