In some ways, Sunday’s Week 6 defeat to the Houston Texans was a really good result for the New England Patriots.
Sure, they lost 41-21 to drop their record to 1-5 at the bottom of the AFC standings, but rookie quarterback Drake Maye played well in his first career start and the team maintained its position atop the first round order for the 2025 NFL Draft.
That’s right, the Patriots still own the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft after suffering their fifth consecutive defeat Sunday. The Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars also have a 1-5 record, but the Patriots currently own the tiebreaker with a worse strength of schedule.
Speaking of the Jaguars, they are the Patriots’ next opponent. It’s a Week 7 matchup over in London next Sunday morning, and the loser of that matchup likely will enter Week 8 in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 overall pick.
The Patriots have not owned the No. 1 pick in the draft since 1993 when they selected Washington State quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
Here’s the updated order for the top 10 picks in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. This story will be updated when the rest of the Week 6 games conclude.
1. New England Patriots, 1-5 (.440 strength of schedule)
2. Cleveland Browns, 1-5 (.511)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1-5 (.522)
4. Cincinnati Bengals, 1-4
5. Los Angeles Rams, 1-4
6. Tennessee Titans, 1-4
7. Carolina Panthers, 1-4
8. Arizona Cardinals, 2-4
9. New Orleans Saints, 2-4
10. Miami Dolphins, 2-3
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