Mike Renner of CBS Sports joins Phil Perry to discuss the lack of talent in the 2025 draft class and why the Patriots should prioritize an offensive tackle in the first round.
There are three College Football Playoff games on Saturday, all of which happen to be loaded with draftable talent. Here are 10 names for Patriots followers to keep an eye on throughout, highlighting some of the best of the best at perceived positions of need for Robert Kraft's club.
SMU vs. Penn State, 12 p.m. on TNT
Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter
One of the best prospects in the draft. Period. And one of the few options on this list to be realistically taken with New England's first pick.
The 6-foot-3, 250-pounder is yet another explosive rusher coming from Penn State. He may not be Micah Parsons from a tools standpoint, though he looks like a naturally gifted disruptor who could align in multiple spots in New England's front seven.
He'll have to be more than a designated pass-rusher eventually, especially given where he's going to be drafted, but that may have to be his role initially while he learns the pro game and develops his impressive physical skill set.
Penn State TE Tyler Warren
At 6-foot-6, 260 pounds, Warren looks like a blocking tight end but has the movement skills of an H-back. He's a rare athlete who the Nittany Lions felt comfortable aligning everywhere, and his hands look like they could be among the best in the draft class regardless of position.
The Patriots tight end room has been one of their best in 2024, but if they're looking for a young and dynamic player to take over for Hunter Henry -- or to pair with him in 12-personnel packages (Austin Hooper is set to be a free agent in 2025) -- Warren looks like a potentially game-changing mismatch option.
Clemson vs. Texas, 4 p.m. on TNT
Texas OT Kelvin Banks
Widely considered one of the top tackle prospects in a relatively thin tackle class, Banks could end up being New England's choice in the first round given their need for Drake Maye protectors.
The 6-foot-4, 320-pounder has 37 starts under his belt after beginning his career as a true-freshman starter, and he earned unanimous All-American status for his work in 2024. He's dealt with an ankle injury late in the season, but he's worth watching closely as the top lineman in the class along with LSU's Will Campbell.
Texas OT Cameron Williams
Banks' teammate on the opposite side of the line is a gifted player in his own right. At 6-foot-5, 335 pounds, he cuts an imposing image, but he's more raw than his left-tackle teammate.
Williams has started just 11 games going into the College Football Playoff, but he has all kinds of physical traits that could make worthy of late first-round consideration. If the Patriots stick with a wide-zone scheme in 2025, adding Williams (perhaps with their second pick) would make sense because of his ability to move laterally.
Texas WR Isaiah Bond
Want speed for the Patriots? This 5-foot-11, 180-pounder has real juice. The Alabama transfer has the straight-line speed New England lacks while also exhibiting some quickness to shake man coverage at the next level. If the Patriots opt for a lineman with their first pick, they may want to take a close look at Bond with their second. The 33rd Team sees some Jaylen Waddle in his game.
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Tennessee vs. Ohio State, 8 p.m. on ABC/ESPN
Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka
He plays a position of need for the Patriots, but he may not be exactly what they need at that position. If that makes sense. He's dependable. He looks like a pro. He has sure hands and he's willing to do the dirty work.
His scouting report reads a bit like Ja'Lynn Polk's. Even if he's a better version, and as much the Patriots could use another pro in that room, what they really could use is some high-ceiling potential at that spot. If they get the star in free agency and then need a No. 2? Then maybe Egbuka is their type.
Ohio State EDGE JT Tuimoloau
At 6-foot-4, 270 pounds the Buckeyes have a pro-ready player setting the edge for them in Tuimoloau. In New England, he'd be a bull-rush specialist who does everything they want in terms of setting an edge. He may have to be more of an outside linebacker as opposed to a 4-3 end in Jerod Mayo's scheme, but he could make it work.
Only impediment in drafting him would be that the Patriots are picking too early to take him at the top of the first and their second-rounder may be too late to get him. He's the 24th player in the draft for The Athletic's Dane Brugler.
Ohio State EDGE Jack Sawyer
These guys have a type on the edge. Sawyer is another solidly-built edge defender who is more likely to work his way through blocks rather than around them.
At 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, he's not going to rack up big-time sack numbers. But he is going to find the football, shed blocks and make tackles. Probably not what the Patriots need with early-down run defenders Anfernee Jennings and Keion White already on the roster. Still, a player worth keeping an eye on.
Ohio State DT Tyleik Williams
This is the closest thing to a Patriots interior lineman playing this weekend. The 6-foot-2, 322-pounder is an immovable object against the run. He has the size and strength to eat up blocks and the discipline to understand how to make life easier for the tacklers playing behind him.
He's another first-round possibility, but if it's New England who wants him they'll either have to move back from their (likely) top-five spot or up from their (likely) top of the second-round spot.
Tennessee EDGE James Pearce
Physical freak. That's Pearce flying off the edge. He's a next-level athlete with clear speed and fluidity to work around offensive tackles.
The only question is whether or not he's worthy of a high-end first-rounder if his early-down projection is a little hazy. He may have the frame (6-foot-5, 242 pounds) to put on some weight and be an every-down option. But if the Patriots are concerned about his versatility -- as much as they could use some pass-rush winners -- they may feel like they need to look elsewhere for edge help. Bleacher Report compares him to Brian Burns.
