How Josh McDaniels Hire Could Change Patriots’ Draft Plans

The Patriots might have tipped their hand when hiring offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels — specifically regarding the 2025 NFL Draft.

McDaniels’ arrival not only signals a shift in scheme but a shift in core principles on the offensive side of the ball. The Patriots historically built their rosters with two things in mind in his previous stints: adaptability and leveraging player strengths — the putting a lot of stress on quarterbacks.

Tom Brady is the only real example of both things working at the same time. His deep-rooted knowledge of the system allowed for quick and concise adjustments during games and throughout seasons. Matt Cassell. Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett, Cam Newton and Mac Jones were the opposite, serving as more scheme-dependent options at the position, which is where our second point comes in.

McDaniels’ greatest attribute is formatting his system around the quarterback’s strengths, which he did with each of those guys.

Cassel hadn’t started a game since high school when he was thrust into the lineup in 2008, so they tapped into his athleticism and created two-read passing concepts where he was able to pick between Randy Moss or Wes Welker. Garoppolo’s experience as a backup allowed for a relatively seamless transition in the few opportunities he was given to play, but Brissett certainly didn’t have that knowledge.

The Patriots essentially ran three different systems across one month in 2016, with the latter being more run-heavy to save the rookie from himself. Newton’s passing ability was on a steep decline by 2020, so McDaniels deployed more options that allowed him to run the ball — most of those involved an extra tight end or fullback. Jones has now proven himself to be an incapable backup, but he thrived in his lone season with McDaniels when he still had the training wheels on but thrived by utilizing tempo while still having the freedom to change aspects of certain plays.

Drake Maye? McDaniels will eventually pile things onto his plate, but while getting him used to the base concepts of the system it’ll be important to maximize the clear physical tools he possesses.

“How does this have anything to do with the 2025 NFL Draft?”

The Patriots don’t have what is needed to help the kid be as successful as he should be, and the answers aren’t as obvious as you might think.

New England’s primary focus this offseason will be upgrading the offensive line, but it is highly unlikely they’ll wait until the draft rolls around to do that. Trey Smith’s, Ronnie Stanley’s and Cam Robinson’s don’t exactly grow on trees, so you have to strike while the iron’s hot. The Patriots would then be allowed to focus on the margins during the draft, which means adding size at the tight end position, depth at running back and experienced wide receivers.

McDaniels historically likes to deploy a fullback — and very well could campaign to add a veteran option like Jakob Johnson or Khari Blasingame — but there’s an opportunity to do that while also adding versatility and youth. Penn State’s Tyler Warren would immediately be the club’s top weapon if he ends up in New England, but he’ll be long gone by the time you address that position. Ohio State’s Gee Scott, Houston’s Maliq Carr, Colorado’s Sav’ell Smalls and Texas Tech’s Jaylin Conyers are late-round options who could provide the versatility to play some fullback while also adding depth at tight end.

The Patriots can’t overlook the need for other backfield options, either. Every successful offense under our subject’s tutelage has utilized multiple backs in several roles. Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson aren’t exactly LeGarrette Blount and James White, but they’re an effective duo when healthy. New England needs to take advantage of a loaded running back class and add some depth, though, with Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo, Texas Tech’s Taj Brooks and Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon II feeling like decent mid-round options that can contribute immediately.

New England’s offense has historically been difficult to learn for young wide receivers, and after last season’s debacle, many might want to avoid the topic altogether. Maye needs dudes to throw it to, however, so if they do draft any wideouts they need to have tons of collegiate experience. UNLV’s Ricky White III is the exact player that comes to mind, having spent five seasons playing college ball. San Jose State’s Nick Nash was also a prolific wideout this season after starting his career as a quarterback, which feels almost too good to be true.

McDaniels can’t come in and fix every single problem in one season, but if he were to try there’s no doubt that the draft board would have a few of those names on it. The Patriots need to weigh whether it’s worth adding those guys or not, but if it helps Maye, there’s no doubt they’ll take a second look.