The Patriots have a lot of needs and will face a tough choice with a top-five draft pick.

New England was projected to earn the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after losing in Week 16. The most logical choice would be to trade down to acquire more assets. However, analysts typically select a player for a team since that’s easier than trying to work out trade terms.

Travis Hunter is a popular choice for the Patriots given the lack of talent at wide receiver and the need for a dynamic playmaker. However, Kyle Crabbs of the 33rd Team went away from consensus when he had Penn State linebacker Abdul Carter going No. 2 to New England.

“The Patriots sound fully committed to continuing their planned future with head coach Jerod Mayo despite the trying ups and downs of life after Bill Belichick.,” Crabbs wrote Monday. “If they’re going to stay the path, the Patriots would be wise to ensure they have the horses in the front needed to live up to the identity of their coach’s background. The formula for doing that could be either a running mate for Christian Gonzalez at cornerback or potentially a star pass-rush weapon. If they opt for the pass rush route, Abdul Carter has been an absolute terror this season for the Penn State Nittany Lions — who appear poised for a deep run into the College Football Playoff after a smothering defensive performance against SMU.

“Of course, the other option for the Patriots is cashing out on this pick for a quarterback-hungry team — the team may be able to sell this pick for a war chest of picks in a limited quarterback class. But assuming they stay put, New England entered Week 16 with two players with more than 2.5 sacks on the season after trading away Matthew Judon at the beginning of the year, finding a centerpiece of the future pass rush, especially one with the alignment versatility of Carter, would change the pass rush dynamics for Mayo and the Patriots.”

The need isn’t that far off. New England ranks second-to-last in total sacks this season. However, fans might see this as a serious reach. While there was a drop-off after trading away Judon, the Pro Bowl pass rusher isn’t even the sacks leader on the Atlanta Falcons, the team that ranks dead last in sacks.

Crabbs acknowledged that the Jacksonville Jaguars, who would earn the No. 3 pick if the season ended after Week 16, needed “needle movers and star power.” That’s why they had them picking Hunter.

That also sounds like a serious need for the Patriots. You also could argue offensive line is a more pressing need than defense since Drake Maye proved he has the qualities of a franchise quarterback.

To his credit, Crabbs did acknowledge the possibility of trading the pick. However, the mock selection of Carter might be too much of an attempt to be different for some fans.