NFL draft prospect, Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Travis Hunter, arrives during the NFL Draft Red Carpet event at Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Thursday, April 24, 2025. / Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The New England Patriots played it safe in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night, selecting LSU Tigers tackle Will Campbell with the fourth overall pick.
It was a smart move by the Patriots, who now finally have some legitimate blind-side protection for quarterback Drake Maye.
But something strange also happened: the Cleveland Browns traded out of the No. 2 pick, allowing the Jacksonville Jaguars to move up from No. 5 and select Travis Hunter. You know, the guy we all assumed New England was enamored with all along.
Here’s the thing: if the Pats really wanted Hunter as much as we all thought, they would have pulled the trigger on that trade. Yes, they would have had to surrender significant draft capital to do so, and the Jaguars were probably in a better position to do that than the Patriots, but the point still stands.
New England could have had Hunter if it really wanted him. He is widely viewed as a generational talent, after all, and the fact that Jacksonville parted with so much to acquire the Heisman Trophy winner is evidence of that.
But perhaps the Pats valued the idea of protecting Maye more than supplying him with a potentialy bona fide No. 1 option? It makes sense, considering that the Patriots had the worst offensive line in football this past season, and it won’t matter what weapons Maye has at his disposal if he isn’t able to stay upright.
It just goes to show how little we actually know as fans and media pundits. We can only speculate. Maybe New England had planned on selecting Campbell regardless of whether or not it had the opportunity to bag Hunter? Mike Vrabel seemed beyond pumped about landing the 6-foot-6 star, so that decision could have been made for quite some time.
Heck, it’s even possible that the Browns called the Pats about possibly swinging a trade only to be rebuffed. In fact, you have to assume Cleveland almost certainly contacted the Patriots, unless the Jaguars really just called the Browns last minute to strike a deal (which is somewhat hard to believe).
The important thing is that the Patriots landed their man. Campbell will be manning the left tackle position in 2025 and beyond (hopefully), and you know what? There are still six rounds left for New England to add more receivers for Maye. Hunter just won’t be one of them, and that’s okay.
