The New England Patriots need a wide receiver, but they are predicted to land help up……..

The New England Patriots fine-tuned their defense in free agency with the additions of defensive tackle Milton Williams and cornerback Carlton Davis, among others. Now they focus on addressing their needs on offense in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Their two biggest needs are wide receiver and the remaining hole at left tackle. The Patriots hosted four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs for a visit, but no deal has come together yet, and their top boundary target at the time of writing is Kayshon Boutte. And while the need at receiver is arguably much greater than that up front, former NFL general manager and current ESPN NFL analyst Mike Tannenbaum predicts that the Patriots will take Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou with the No. 4 overall pick.

“Last season, the Patriots were 31st in pass block win rate (50.9%), and their 52 sacks allowed tied for the fifth most,” Tannenbaum writes. “So that’s my focus. Membou played in 36 games and started 30 at Missouri, and he allowed one sack last season. I believe he can shift from right tackle to left tackle, too. He moves really well and shows solid hand placement. He’s also very explosive, posting the best broad jump (9-foot-7) and second-fastest 40-yard dash (4.91 seconds) of all offensive linemen at the combine. The idea of new Pats coach Mike Vrabel taking a tackle reminds me of Jim Harbaugh selecting Joe Alt in his first draft with the Chargers, and I think bringing in Membou would be a similar tone-setting pick.”

The Chargers comparison makes a lot of sense, which is just more reason why the Patriots should opt for a receiver in the first round rather than take a tackle. Sure Joe Alt is great, but when the Chargers were in tight games, they had no one to turn to in the passing game. Teams would focus solely on Ladd McConkey and that alone put the Chargers in checkmate. If Travis Hunter isn’t there at No. 4, New England could trade down, gather more picks, and take a receiver like Tetairoa McMillan in the first round before addressing the offensive line in round two.