Cover photo taken from PFF.
Welcome to 32 Teams in 32 Days, a daily series leading up to kickoff of the 2025 NFL season where I preview every team in the league as decided by a wheel spin and project what their season will look like. You can keep up with everything right here.
We close out the AFC East with arguably its most discussed team this offseason as the Patriots rebuild seems to be going swimmingly, but they still might be a year away with some clear strengths and weaknesses on both sides of the ball.
I’ll start by saying that I think New England has made all the right moves this offseason. Firing Jerod Mayo after finishing 4-13 was a tough call, but when you replace him with a guy like Mike Vrabel, who doesn’t just get Patriot football like few else do, but is also a tremendous head coach, it’s a no-brainer. And when you know you have a stud at quarterback with Drake Maye, beefing up his protection and giving him some more weapons on offense while bolstering the defense behind him certainly helps a ton.
The best news for Maye is that his protection simply can’t be as bad as it was in 2024. This offensive line was 31st in pass block win rate and 32nd in run block in rate while allowing 52 sacks, the fifth-most in football. It’s safe to say this was the single worst OL in the league, which made their selection of LSU OT Will Campbell Jr. an easy one. A lot of people think he has short arms and might be a better guard than tackle, but the tape doesn’t lie; this dude is a straight up animal who abused SEC defensive ends with his raw strength and elite technique. He’s going to be a hell of a blindside blocker for Maye. They also drafted Georgia center Jared Wilson in the third round: an athletic freak who can use his size to push around opposing three-techs all day. He’ll be a guard in the pros, which almost works better for him. Combine those selections with the free agent acquisitions of center Garrett Bradbury and right tackle Morgan Moses, and you’ve got a completely overhauled and much improved offensive line. Thank God for that.
Honestly, last year’s OL being as bad as it was made Drake Maye’s season that much more impressive. The numbers certainly don’t jump off the page, but his tape was extremely promising. And he was still 20th in EPA+CPOE, 17th in success rate and 17th in QBR despite running for his life on every single play. Compare that to a guy like Caleb Williams… I’m just saying.
Still, the rest of the offense needed work. That side of the ball was an eye sore with no real playmakers, finishing 27th in EPA play, 30th in rush EPA, 31st in total offense, 32nd in passing and 30th in scoring. Well, the Pats seemed to have nailed the offseason there, too. Drafting RB TreVeyon Henderson in the second round kills about four birds with one stone, giving Maye a home run threat as a runner and a receiver with elite burst and top-end speed. Third-round pick Kyle Williams is a technician on the outside who gets to learn under free agent acquisition Stefon Diggs, who has a penchant for helping out young QBs. And, for what it’s worth, Pop Douglas had his moments last year, and Mack Hollins is a solid depth piece. New/returning OC Josh McDaniels has some pretty nice toys to play with. All in all, this offense should be infinitely better in 2025. Low bar, I know.
This defense was also pretty awful last year, finishing 30th in EPA/play and 27th in success rate while the defensive line was 23rd in pass rush win rate and 17th in run stop win rate. Well, they put their money where the mouth is to overhaul that side of the ball pretty effectively as well. New DC Terrell Williams brings a ton of juice from his time under Aaron Glenn in Detroit. Massive free agent acquisitions like Milton Williams at DT, Carlton Davis at corner, Harold Landry at OLB and Robert Spillane at ILB improve this defense at every level. The pass rush will be improved from inside and out, the run defense will be better inside the box, and the secondary will get contributions from players not named Christian Gonzalez.
Hell, even the special teams already looks better with rookie kicker Andres Borregales booting kicks in the preseason and a kid like Henderson taking kickoffs to the house.
Are you starting to understand why every time you open ESPN, pundits are predicting the Patriots in the playoffs? It’s not an unfounded take.
X-Factor: The Offensive Line
Again, considering this was by far the worst offensive line in football last year and New England completely overhauled and improved it, they’re going to be a much better unit this season. This is more about their potential. I think these guys have the chance to be one of the top-15 or so offensive lines in the league. I love the new tackle duo, the interior is beefy and thoroughly effective against the run and I think Doug Marrone could be a really solid OL coach. So, if they reach that level, imagine what this offense is going to look like. Drake Maye with time to throw, TreVeyon Henderson with rushing lanes… it just seems beautiful, doesn’t it?
Team MVP: QB Drake Maye
In that vein, I think an improved offensive line means a huge 2025 for Drake Maye. I absolutely loved this kid at North Carolina, he was a top-four prospect for me into the league, and I was incredibly impressed with his play last season. Again, it was nothing flashy, but his composure in a horrendous situation really spoke volumes. I was much more impressed with Maye than I was with Williams for that reason. With a full offseason under his belt, an actually competent coaching staff and shiny new weapons surrounding him, Maye could take the leap to being a top-12 or so QB in football this year. With a skillset that perfectly embodies the franchise quarterback in today’s game — from size to mobility to arm strength and the ability to make every play — he has everything he needs to get it done.
Breakout Candidate: RB TreVeyon Henderson
Ah, the pride of Hopewell, Va. I doubt any of you remember me writing about his first game at Ohio State when he burst onto the scene with a massive touchdown against Minnesota way back in 2021. But I do! And ever since then, Tre has been my guy. He’s one of my favorite Buckeyes ever and I can’t wait to see him shine in the pros. I touched on it earlier, but he brings a blend of size, strength, burst and speed that could make him one of the league’s most deadly weapons in 2025. He’s going to catch a ton of passes and he’s going to turn a lot of short gains into massive ones, the same way he did in Columbus for four years. I wanted him in Washington for that reason, but I’ll gladly watch him tear it up for a Patriots team that I’m really excited to watch blossom into a contender in the years to come.
Record Prediction: 8-9
On that note, I don’t think this is a playoff team overnight. I still think they’re going to be vastly improved and a very solid team, but the Patriots are one year away to me, mainly because we need to see all these new pieces gel before placing any real expectations on them. What if the new-look offensive line disappoints? What if the defense still can’t stop a nosebleed? What if Maye takes a step back, not forward? I don’t think any of that will happen, but in a division with the Bills and with teams on the schedule like Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cincinnati and Tampa Bay, the season could feature some more downs than ups.
But, make no mistake about it, the Patriots will be back in the national spotlight and competing with the Bills for the AFC East for years to come. They’re doing everything right, and we’re going to start to see these moves bear fruit this season. We could be talking about a real Super Bowl contender in the years to come.
Next up: 
Atlanta Falcons
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