The New England Patriots will look to expedite their rebuild by nailing their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. They'll have a top-five pick for the second consecutive season, this time selecting at No. 4 overall.
Recent drafts have been rough for the Patriots, but they seem to have hit on their first-round picks over the last two years with quarterback Drake Maye and cornerback Christian Gonzalez blossoming into franchise cornerstones. Will they add a future star in Round 1 for the third draft in a row?
We'll know more when this year's draft kicks off on Thursday, April 24. As we prepare for New England's pivotal night, here's a refresher on each of the team's first-rounders in its last 10 drafts.
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2024 - QB Drake Maye (No. 3 overall)
All signs point toward Maye developing into the star New England desperately needed under center. As a rookie, the 22-year-old out of North Carolina threw for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 13 games (12 starts). He rushed for 421 yards and two TDs.
Maye will look to take his game to another level in Year 2, this time with a true No. 1 wide receiver in Stefon Diggs. With the right weapons around him, his big arm and athleticism could help New England enjoy a bounce-back season in 2025.
2023 - CB Christian Gonzalez (No. 17 overall)
Gonzalez appeared in only four games as a rookie due to a season-ending shoulder injury, but those four games were all it took for him to showcase his elite potential. The Oregon product proved that wasn't a fluke in 2024, recording a pair of interceptions with 11 pass breakups to earn a second-team All-Pro nod. He'll anchor New England's secondary again in 2025.
2022 - OL Cole Strange (No. 29 overall)
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay's reaction to the Patriots selecting Strange in Round 1 just about sums it up. It was a massive reach for the Chattanooga guard, and it looks even worse knowing how little Strange has produced since joining the team.
Since playing in all 17 games as a rookie, Strange has been plagued by injuries that have limited him to only 13 games in the last two years. With veteran David Andrews no longer in the picture, Strange is expected to compete for the starting center job in camp.
2021 - QB Mac Jones (No. 15 overall)
The Mac Jones era started off strong as the Alabama product led the Patriots to a playoff berth and was selected to the Pro Bowl as a rookie. It was all downhill from there.
Jones suffered an ankle injury in Week 3 of the 2022 season and missed three games. He was replaced by Bailey Zappe, who took advantage of his opportunity and went 2-0 as the starter. Jones struggled mightily in his return to the field and was even worse in 2023, resulting in him being traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the offseason.
2020 - No first-round picks
The Patriots traded their first-round pick (23rd overall) to the Los Angeles Chargers for L.A.'s 37th overall pick and 71st overall pick. They then traded the 71st pick to the New York Jets for the 87th and 91st picks.
New England used those picks to select safety Kyle Dugger (No. 37), linebacker Anfernee Jennings (No. 87), and tight end Devin Asiasi (No. 91).
2019 - WR N'Keal Harry (No. 32 overall)
The infamous Harry pick will go down as one of Bill Belichick's worst. The Arizona State wideout was selected before future star receivers Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, and DK Metcalf. He recorded 74 catches for 714 yards and five TDs in 49 games over three seasons with New England and hasn't been able to maintain a consistent role on an NFL roster since.
2018 - OL Isaiah Wynn (No. 23 overall) & RB Sony Michel (No. 31 overall)
Wynn showed flashes throughout his Patriots tenure but struggled to stay on the field due to injuries. As for Michel, he helped New England to two Super Bowl titles and played a huge role during the 2018 playoff run, totaling a league-leading 336 yards and three TDs.
2017 - No first-round picks
The Patriots traded their first-round pick (No. 32) to the New Orleans Saints for wide receiver Brandin Cooks. He was solid in his lone season in New England, racking up 65 catches for 1,082 yards and seven TDs.
2016 - No first-round picks
The Patriots lost their 2016 first-round pick as a punishment for the Deflategate scandal.
2015 - DT Malcom Brown (No. 32 overall)
Brown helped the Patriots to two Super Bowl titles (LI and LIII). In his four seasons with New England, he recorded 8.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, and 186 total tackles.