NFL Draft buzz: Could a team trade with Patriots to land Ashton Jeanty? (2025)

The New England Patriots could keep the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and address a critical need at offensive tackle by taking LSU's Will Campbell or Missouri's Armand Membou.

But you could argue neither player -- or any player outside blue-chip prospects Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter -- is No. 4 pick material, which is why a trade down in the first round might be an ideal situation for New England.

The question, of course, is whether the Patriots could find a team willing to move up to No. 4 given the lack of elite prospects outside Hunter and Carter. And that's where Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty enters the conversation.

While running back isn't a premier position like offensive tackle, wide receiver or edge rusher in today's NFL, Jeanty is viewed as a generational talent who is the No. 3 overall prospect on the "big board" of NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah.

Several mock drafts have projected Jeanty to be taken by the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 5 overall or the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6 overall. So, would a running back-needy team that really wants Jeanty be motivated to jump that line and acquire the No. 4 pick from New England to draft him?

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The MMQB's Albert Breer joined NBC Sports Boston's Early Edition on Tuesday and shared what he's hearing about the possibility of a team moving up the draft board to take Jeanty.

"I would say this: I think if there is a trade into the top 10 or within the top 10, it will be for Jeanty," Breer said. "I don't think it's gonna be for quarterback. I don't think it's gonna be for Hunter or Carter. If somebody does trade up into the top 10, my guess would be it'd be for Jeanty."

Which teams might have interest in trading up to take Jeanty? Breer is keeping an eye on the Denver Broncos -- who currently own the No. 20 pick -- and the Chicago Bears, who own the 10th pick.

"I think the Broncos are a team to watch when it comes to that," Breer said. "Now, that'd be a long way to go down (in a trade). So, how much are you getting back? I think that's an open question. And then there could be teams like Chicago within the top 10 that could be looking to come up to get the running back."

There's a risk in trading down, of course; the Patriots desperately need a starting left tackle, and it's possible both Campbell and Membou are off the board by the 10th pick. If they trade all the way down to 20, other second-tier offensive tackles might be gone as well.

It's also possible that a team like Denver or Chicago feels Jeanty will make it past pick No. 5 or 6 and chooses another trade partner in the top 10 besides New England.

The upside of trading down for the Patriots, however, would be building their war chest of future draft picks -- potentially a 2026 first-rounder -- to address their bevy of roster needs, while still being able to select a quality player in the middle to late first round.

Tune into NBC Sports Boston at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday to watch our "On the Clock" special show featuring Breer, Patriots Insiders Phil Perry and Tom E. Curran and more guests.