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The New England Patriots can produce a draft twist to help Drake Maye.

Take a poll on what the New England Patriots should do with the fourth pick in the 2025 NFL draft, and you’ll get familiar answers. Either select the best left tackle available, probably LSU’s Will Campbell, or snag Travis Hunter to play wide receiver, but what if there’s another way for the team to help young quarterback Drake Maye?

That way would involve putting Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty in the backfield. It’s an intriguing idea from Noah Strackbein of Patriots on SI for the latest mock draft from Sports Illustrated.

Strackbein acknowledges “the Patriots could choose to go offensive tackle here, but pairing Drake Maye up with a superstar running back is probably high on Mike Vrabel’s list of potential outcomes. Jeanty is one of the hardest names to pass on in this class, and if the Patriots can pair their quarterback with the league’s next big-time runner, they certainly will.”

That’s a bold statement, but it’s hard not to like the idea of equipping Maye with a true and dynamic all-rounder like Jeanty. The combination could be enticing enough for the Patriots to continue to delay fixing their obvious issues on the left side of the offensive line.

Ashton Jeanty Tough to Ignore for Patriots

Ignoring a back as versatile and gifted as Jeanty will be tough for the Patriots. Especially after the 21-year-old rushed for an astonishing 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns during his final season with the Broncos, per Sports Reference.

Numbers like those were made possible because Jeanty possesses the natural elusiveness and sudden speed all breakaway threats need. Those qualities showed up on this run highlighted by ESPN’s Field Yates to reveal nine players failed to bring Jeanty down.

Awesome production and an enviable collection of big plays like this are why Jeanty will be tough to pass, even with the fourth pick. Strackbein isn’t the only one who thinks the Pats will be tempted to send the stud runner’s name to the stage.

Jeanty would be “a huge aid for Drake Maye’s development,” according to Patriots.com Writer Mike Dussault. He concedes “running backs are devalued these days and yes, there are probably going to be good backs drafted well into the later rounds, but for an offense that badly needs to be weaponized, Jeanty is the best weapon in this draft and a home run hitter who would instantly give the Patriots an elite threat and change the dynamic of the offense.”

What’s interesting about Dussault’s take is how running backs are actually coming back into vogue. A 2,000-yard season from Saquon Barkley to help the Philadelphia Eagles win last season’s Super Bowl reminded everybody about the value of an elite player in the backfield.

So did the enduring efforts of two-time league rushing champion Derrick Henry, who successfully transferred his bulldozing act to the Baltimore Ravens. Henry finished second to Barkley in rushing, but he first achieved stardom with the Tennessee Titans on the watch of new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.

It would make sense for Vrabel to acquire his next workhorse from the draft. Particularly after incumbent Rhamondre Stevenson struggled with ball security last season.

There’s a lot of merit to the Patriots drafting Jeanty, but other positions are still garnering more attention in most mocks.

Patriots Have Other Major Needs on Offense

Entering the season without an elite wide receiver and a bluechip left tackle would harm Maye’s progress. The Patriots may be inching toward finally solving the first of those problems, albeit with a risky proposition.

Perhaps pairing a prolific veteran with two-unit star Hunter would give Maye the targets he needs. It’s the view from NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah, who predicts Hunter “would immediately be their most potent weapon” for Maye.

Those sentiments are echoed by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. He thinks Hunter “can pick apart opponents with his ball skills, quickness and instincts. Despite playing both ways, he caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 scores last season.”

Meanwhile, left tackle remains a problem after “the Patriots were interested in signing free-agent tackle Cam Robinson, per source, but he ultimately chose Houston. Questions existed about his fit in Foxboro. He’s dealt with injury. But he would’ve represented an upgrade at left tackle. The search for help there continues,” according to NBCSBoston’s Phil Perry.

The need for better protection on Maye’s blindside is why Mike Band of Next Gen Stats has the Patriots selecting Campbell. So does Josh Edwards of CBS Sports.

Campbell is the safe pick, but Jeanty and Maye would form a double act sure to make everyone around them better and give defenses nightmares.

James Dudko covers the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens for Heavy.com. He has covered the NFL and world soccer since 2011, with bylines at FanSided, Prime Time Sports Talk and Bleacher Report before joining Heavy in 2021. More about James Dudko