2025 Draft Guide: New England Patriots

Coaching History: Last Three Years

Head Coach: Mike Vrabel (N/A ’24, TEN ’22-23)
Offensive Coordinator: Josh McDaniels (N/A ’24, LV ’22-23)
2024 Record: 4-13

Team Summary

New England is one of the rare teams that, after a disappointing year, seems to have a promising trajectory. Despite possessing a terrible offense, things are trending up as they have turned to ascending QB Drake Maye, drafted RB TreVeyon Henderson, and revamped the WR room by signing Stefon Diggs in Free Agency and drafting rookie Kyle Williams.

The new coaching staff, with Head Coach Mike Vrabel and Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels, have used different mixes of personnel, with Vrabel leaning towards a more even split between “11” and “12” personnel, while McDaniels has leaned more heavily into “11” personnel, preferring to use 3WRs. Given the current state of the roster, I think it is likely that McDaniels limits the usage of “11” personnel and focuses on keeping Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper on the field in “12”.

Diggs gives the Patriots a true WR1 option (at least in NFL terms), which they have lacked for years. They have also seen promising development this offseason from players like Pop Douglas and Kayshon Boutte, who seem to have taken their game to the next level. Add in rookie WR Kyle Williams and pass catching specialist RB TreVeyon Henderson, and all of a sudden, Drake Maye has quite a few options at his disposal. Don’t be shocked to see this bottom of the barrel passing offense vault itself into the middle of the pack.

2024 Ranks (2023 Rank)

• Points: 30th (31st)
• Yards: 31st (30th)
• Passing Attempts: 24th (22nd)
• Passing Yards: 32nd (28th)
• Passing TDs: 31st (27th)
• Rushing Attempts: 20th (26th)
• Rushing Yards: 13th (26th)
• Rushing TDs: 25th (26th)

2024 Positional Market Share

Rhamondre Stevenson let the backfield with a nearly 2:1 advantage over RB2 Antonio Gibson. However, he played quite a bit of the year with Jacoby Brissett at QB. Once Drake Maye took over, more rushes were taken by the young QB, and that could limit the overall quantity available for the RBs.

While Hunter Henry led the team in targets and Demario Douglas led the WRs, expect things to shift with the addition of Stefon Diggs. The TEs will still be heavily involved, but there will be less opportunities available for the depth WR options rotating in.

Depth Chart:

• QB: Drake Maye, Joshua Dobbs
• RB: Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Antonio Gibson
• WR: Stefon Diggs (X), DeMario Douglas (Slot), Kayshon Boutte (Z), Kyle Williams, Mack Hollins
• TE: Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper
  • Bold – Fantasy relevant
  • Highlighted – Priority target

Player Breakdowns

The second-year signal caller will get his first full season under center. He showed flashes in 2024 during his starts to end the season, but the roster was in rough shape. He will have many more options to distribute targets to this year, and the extra year of preparation should do wonders. Being one of the more mobile QBs in the league, it is shocking to see that Maye is being drafted as late as QB17. Treat him as a fringe QB1 but understand that he has major upside due to his running ability. If you pass on one of the elite four QBs in the first few rounds, Maye should be your priority target.

Stevenson remains at the top of the depth chart, even if rookie TreVeyon Henderson is the more talented option. Expect to see Rhamondre handle the bulk of the carries, especially on runs between the tackles. This should lead to a voluminous role, although his efficiency may not be particularly good. The Patriots will be looking for him to keep the chains moving and provide consistent, predictable production and short-yardage power. If Stevenson’s fumbling issues pop up again this season, he could see his opportunities disappear in favor of another early down option.

Henderson is lightning in a bottle. His speed is a difference maker, even at the NFL level. His role is likely to be focused as a receiving back during his rookie year, though, so temper expectations of a full backfield takeover, despite the highlight plays you will see throughout the preseason. The receiving role should be enough to make Henderson fantasy-viable, though, as he is a talented enough receiver to run more than the base package of RB routes. He should be used to take downfield shots any time he is lined up against a LB without obvious safety help.

While Gibson is listed as the RB3 on the depth chart, don’t completely write him off for fantasy. If Henderson proves to be unreliable with ball security, the Patriots are more likely to turn to Gibson to be the between-the-tackles power rusher rather than overload Henderson. In fact, Gibson was more efficient than Stevenson in 2024, albeit with a smaller sample size. Late in your draft, don’t forget Gibson in deeper leagues where the waiver wire options will be thin.

Stefon Diggs gives the Patriots a true WR1, which they have lacked for quite some time. While he is coming off an ACL injury from last year, he has been fully participating in training camp and appears ready to go. We won’t get prime Diggs, but the veteran has enough skill and guile to consistently get open for his young QB, with whom he is building a serious rapport. Expect Diggs to be in the WR2 conversation, with a safe floor as he should lead the team in targets. Being drafted at WR38 seems criminal.

Douglas seems to have the slot WR role locked down heading into the season. He was the most reliable option in 2024, and were it not for the addition of Diggs, he would likely have challenged Hunter Henry as the leading target on the team. Expect Douglas’ ceiling to be capped by his usage primarily in 3WR sets, but when he is on the field, he will be productive. While he is being drafted as WR72, you can pencil him in for WR4 production at worst. He is a free space if you miss out on earlier options at the position.

Boutte has been a revelation this offseason. By all accounts he is one of the most improved players on the team. Expect him to play opposite Stefon Diggs in 2WR sets, and while he won’t get the same volume as Diggs, he adds another option to strain defenses when Maye drops back to pass. Boutte should be treated as a late round flier at WR, but there is upside here if he can display a connection with Drake Maye and earn unexpected usage.

Rookie WR Kyle Williams likely won’t play a ton at X this year, but it may end up being his long-term position. He is a bit undersized at 5’11” and 190 lbs, but with Diggs on the roster, he may be able to slide into the Z role at times to get reps and work on the finer details of the WR position. Don’t consider Williams during your draft in redraft leagues, but he should be a priority target in rookie drafts for those playing dynasty.

Henry is unlikely to lead the team in targets again, but he is a solid receiving threat and will see the field plenty in both “11” and “12” personnel. TE19 is way too late for a player of his caliber, with his role in the passing game. He should be a priority late round target to add depth behind whichever upside TE option you select earlier.

Hooper should only be under consideration in deeper leagues (start 2 TEs or with 16+ teams). However, if Henry were to miss time, Hooper would immediately step into his role as a safety valve receiving option getting good volume for a TE. As it is, he should have a red zone role as New England looks to become more versatile – using two TEs to project ‘run’ to the defense allows them to run play action and find their TEs leaking behind the LBs.

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