Patriots set for top draft pick in 2025 as shock Giants win dramatically reshuffles order
The New England Patriots have moved into pole position for the top overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with just one week of the regular season remaining.
Heading into Week 17, the New York Giants found themselves in the driver's seat for the No. 1 pick after the Las Vegas Raiders' win over the Jacksonville Jaguars bumped them down from top spot.
Yet the Giants have now suffered the same fate after their shock 45-33 victory against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday - their first win in nearly three months - which will drop them to either the third or fourth overall draft pick depending on future results.
Now the Patriots appear on course to take the top pick next year ahead of their regular-season finale against the high-flying Buffalo Bills - a game they will be expected to lose heavily.
Jerod Mayo's team were beaten for the 13th time this season on Saturday against the LA Chargers, who ran out comfortable 40-7 winners in Foxborough.
New England holding on to the No. 1 selection will make for an interesting draft given they already picked a quarterback for the future in Drake Maye earlier this year.
Jerod Mayo's Patriots have moved into pole position for the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft
The Giants bumped themselves off top spot after securing a shock win over the Colts
New York, meanwhile, is in desperate need of a new quarterback after Daniel Jones was released from his contract last month, leaving head coach Brian Daboll to rotate between backups Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito.
The Tennessee Titans, currently projected for the No. 2 pick, are also in the market for a quarterback, as are the Cleveland Browns (No. 4), New York Jets (No. 6) and the Raiders (No. 8).
Colorado's Shedeur Sanders is the top-rated quarterback entering the draft, followed by Miami's Cam Ward, Alabama's Jalen Milroe, and Texas' Quinn Ewers.
Meanwhile, the two-way Heisman Trophy winner, Travis Hunter, appears to be the consensus top-rated player in the 2025 class, with the Colorado star not expected to fall beyond the top three picks.
While they may well have denied themselves the top draft pick, the Giants did at least snap a franchise-record 10-game losing streak and avoid going winless at home for the first time since 1974 by defeating the Colts on Sunday.
Indianapolis' slim playoff hopes also ended as Lock threw four touchdown passes and ran for another in a 45-33 victory for New York.
The Giants quarterback sandwiched touchdown passes of 31 and 59 yards to Malik Nabers around TD passes of 32 yards to Darius Slayton and 5 yards to Wan'Dale Robinson in leading them to their first win since beating Seattle on Oct. 6.
