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2025 NFL mock draft roundup: Who can fix Patriots’ biggest problems? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots suffered another tough loss — their fourth in a row — in Sunday’s Week 15 road game against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Patriots, trailing 16-3 with about five minutes left in the third quarter, had a third-and-1 at the Cardinals’ 4-yard line. They couldn’t get that one yard, though, as two runs up the middle failed. It was a huge missed opportunity to trim the Cardinals’ lead to one score. Arizona eventually won 30-17.
The loss highlighted many issues for the Patriots. All season, we’ve talked about the need for a No. 1 wideout and a franchise left tackle, and how the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft is a good place to address one, and potentially both, of those roster weaknesses. The Patriots currently own the No. 3 overall pick in the first round.
Those two positions were bad Sunday, too. Zero wideouts for the Patriots caught more than three passes. Rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk had zero catches on only one target. Left tackle Vederian Lowe also played poorly and gave up one sack.
But there are also huge issues on defense for the Patriots. These problems are so glaring that it might even make sense for the team to use its 2025 first-round selection on a pass rusher.
The pass rush was non-existent versus the Cardinals, tallying zero sacks and only two QB hits. A bad pass rush makes the rest of the defense’s job so much more difficult. The Patriots have the fourth-fewest sacks in the league with 27, and nine of them came in a Week 10 win over the Chicago Bears. So, in the other 13 games, the Patriots have a total of just 18 sacks. That’s just brutal.
At this rate, taking a player such as Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter might be the smartest idea for the Patriots in Round 1. Carter, who’s an athletic pass rusher at 6-foot-3 and 239 pounds, tallied a career-high 10 sacks with 37 solo tackles and two forced fumbles for the Nittany Lions…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/2025-nfl-mock-draft-roundup-181300647.html
Author : NBC Sports Boston
Publish date : 2024-12-16 18:13:00
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