Do the New England Patriots already have their eyes on the next season? The team is 3-8 right now and head coach Jerod Mayo has said that he hopes to make a big jump from year one to year two. Despite this season’s disappointment, the Patriots will have an exciting off-season in store with a young quarterback in place, a chance of a high draft pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and a lot of money to spend. With that in mind, the Pats could have the opportunity to land a top-5 prospect from Arizona.

ESPN reporter Matt Miller published a report in which a mock 2025 draft was included. In the report, he put the Patriots to have the No.6 pick in the draft next year. This led Mike Reiss, a New England insider for ESPN, to predict that the franchise can make an addition to their ranks which will lead to an enticing partnership with QB Drake Maye.

He stated, “With six games left in the regular season, the Patriots are projected to have the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL draft. ESPN NFL draft analyst Matt Miller’s most recent mock draft had two quarterbacks off the board within the first four picks, which would be ideal for New England considering it already has that position well accounted for with Maye.

It’s early, but envisioning Maye throwing to someone like University of Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan is intriguing.” McMillan can be a solid pick for the Pats and may be exactly what they need. During the 2024 college football season, McMillan has come up with 78 receptions for 1,251 yards and seven touchdowns. In his most recent outing against the TCU, the young receiver also made history.

Despite the Wildcats falling to a loss at TCU, there was reason to celebrate for McMillan. During the fourth quarter, he reached 3,355 yards for his career, passing Bobby Wade’s school record of 3,351 yards, set between 1999-2002. If Jerod Mayo gets McMillan and is able to make his partnership with Maye blossom, things might just look up for the Patriots next year.

Jerod Mayo believes the Patriots will bloom around 2025

The head coach believes that the first year is always difficult for rookies. Just like that, 2024 has been a testing year for him as the HC of the Patriots. A rookie always has a high chance of making an impact in year two, and Jeord Mayo is hoping it is the same thing for him.

Mayo stated this in a post-game conference in week 10, “[Players] make their biggest jump from year one to year two. My expectation for me personally as a head coach is to make the biggest jump from year one to year two.” Following a meeting with team management, the HC has cleared how he plans to go in 2025.

While he has intimated that things are underway. The Patriots’ plans have yet to be revealed as the team is frustrated with a few problems. The Tetairoa McMillan report though, could ease some of those worries.

Only time will tell what happens. What are your thoughts on the Patriots’ hidden strategy? Do you believe the squad can achieve great things in 2025?