The Joe Milton III trade helped the New England Patriots slightly move up the draft board.
Some will argue until the cows come home that the Patriots should have gotten more for their promising young quarterback. They ultimately decided to ship Milton and a seventh-round draft pick to the Dallas Cowboys for a fifth-rounder.
It's still a win on the Patriots' end considering they moved a third-string quarterback who was drafted in the sixth round in 2024 for a fifth-round pick.
However, some might argue that it would have been smarter keeping Milton on the roster to serve as quarterback Drake Maye's backup over moving him for a fifth-round pick.
With that said, the pick could come in handy to draft another fifth-round prospect or package with other picks to move up the draft board. The Patriots pull off a couple of trades in our latest 2025 NFL mock draft.
Here's who the team landed on in seven rounds:
TRADE! Round 1, pick No. 9: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
- Patriots get: No. 9 pick, No. 40 pick
- Saints get: No. 4 pick
The Patriots didn't need to stay at No. 4 to get the top projected receiver on the draft board. With Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter both gone, the Patriots decide to trade down with the New Orleans Saints.
They get an extra second-round pick for their efforts and the true X-receiver they've been waiting for. McMillan is a human highlight reel capable of helping Drake Maye take the top off defenses.
TRADE! Round 1, pick No. 24: Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon
- Patriots get: No. 24 pick
- Vikings get: No. 38 pick, No. 77 pick, No. 171 pick
After securing another second-round pick in the trade with the Saints, the Patriots are more comfortable shipping a slew of picks to the Minnesota Vikings to move back up the board later in the first round.
They target Oregon left tackle Josh Conerly Jr. with this move. Conerly has one of the highest ceilings of all of the tackles in this draft. He's an elite pass protector with the desired size at the NFL level.
Round 2, pick No. 40: Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio State
A major need that often goes unnoticed for the Patriots is at edge rusher. They've done a great job of beefing up in the trenches with the blockbuster addition of Milton Williams.
They'd do well to add another disruptive force opposite of Harold Landy III by selecting Ohio State's Jack Sawyer. The two-time Second-Team All-Big Ten defender plays with a high motor and relentless pursuit.
Round 3, pick No. 69: Ozzy Trapilo, OT, Boston College
The Patriots aren't done at offensive tackle.
They fielded one of the worst offensive lines in the league last season, and they must double down at their greatest area of weakness. They managed to do so in this draft by selecting Boston College's Ozzy Trapilo in the third round. The team already has great intel on the player through their connection with Boston College coach Bill O'Brien.
A tackle room ...
