The Patriots 2024 season to this point has shown that they need to improve the roster in a big way before they take the field in 2025.
There are big needs at multiple positions, including wide receiver, offensive line, and edge defenders.
Those positions are going to need an upgrade of talent through free agency and/or the 2025 draft.
The Patriots currently have 9 draft picks in 2025, including two in round-3 and three in round-7. They don't own a 6th-round pick at this point.
Adding early picks to this draft capitol will go a long way in trying to right the listing ship.
Chad Graff from The Athletic has the following thoughts on how the team may approach the trade deadline with some moves to bolster their draft stock.
WR Kendrick Bourne to the 49ers for a sixth-round pick
This one seems like the most obvious fit. The 49ers have expressed interest in Bourne multiple times, including recently when the Pats and Niners were discussing a potential Brandon Aiyuk trade. Now Aiyuk is out for the remainder of the season due to an ACL and MCL tear, so the 49ers could seemingly use depth at wide receiver.

Bourne is off to a slow start since returning from his own ACL tear three games ago, notching four catches for 29 yards, so maybe a sixth-rounder is wishful thinking. But already this year, we’ve seen one Patriots wide receiver who wasn’t producing after an injury (JuJu Smith-Schuster) go to a good team (the Chiefs) and put up decent numbers. Maybe Bourne could do that in San Francisco.
CB Jonathan Jones to the Vikings for a sixth-round pick
Brian Flores has Minnesota’s defense playing like one of the best in the league. He’s consistently mixing up his play calls and using exotic blitzes. It’s a lot of fun to watch.
But the Vikings could use depth at cornerback, and Flores has already added one former Patriot cornerback, signing Stephon Gilmore earlier this year. Perhaps Jones could be the next to go play for the former assistant who spent 15 seasons in New England.
Jones has quietly played well this season and is still one of the fastest players on the team at 31. He’s a free agent after this season, so the Pats might want to get something for him before he has a chance to leave with little compensation in return.
Edge Joshua Uche to the Lions for a seventh-round pick
Uche turned down more money elsewhere to rejoin the Patriots on a one-year deal this offseason, hopeful another year in the same system would lead to bigger numbers, like the 11.5 sacks he recorded in 2022. But little has gone as planned for the 26-year-old.
He doesn’t get the benefit of playing opposite Matthew Judon anymore, and because the team doesn’t trust him against the run, his playing time has dipped. Uche, though, can still rush the passer. His pressure rate of 14.9 percent ranks 23rd in the NFL among players with at least 70 pass-rush attempts and is the best on the Patriots.
The Lions just lost Aidan Hutchinson, the NFL leader in pressure rate, for the rest of the season, so they could use help on that front.
WR K.J. Osborn and a seventh-round pick to the Ravens for a sixth-round pick
Maybe a return to the Vikings makes more sense considering he topped 500 receiving yards there in each of the last three years. But Osborn’s time in New England hasn’t gone well.
Osborn has just seven catches for 57 yards this season and indicated with a repost on Instagram that the team was going to make him a healthy scratch for Sunday’s game before Demario Douglas came down with an illness. (Osborn then scored a touchdown in the game.)
Lamar Jackson threw five touchdowns on “Monday Night Football,” but only one was to a wide receiver. And the Ravens could use depth at the position, potentially opening the door for Osborn.
WR Tyquan Thornton to the Chiefs for a conditional seventh-round pick
It’s not going to work out for Thornton with the Patriots. That’s safe to say at this point after another season with little production from the 2022 second-round pick has led to him being a healthy scratch the last two weeks.
Maybe Thornton just isn’t cut out for the NFL. But if there’s a place where he has a chance to succeed, it’s in Kansas City, where his speed could be an asset for a coach and quarterback who love fast receivers.
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