2025 NFL Draft Wish List: AFC East

All eyes are on the 2025 NFL Draft, set for April 24-26 in Green Bay at legendary Lambeau Field. With free agency cooling off, we’re starting to see what each team might prioritize when the draft rolls around.

Like last year, we’re diving into all eight NFL divisions, pinpointing the rookies who could fit each roster’s needs. First up: The AFC East.

Also, this is a fantasy football wish list. We might mention some defensive picks here and there, but this will mostly focus on offense.

(Stay tuned for the full NFL Draft Wish List series: NFC East | AFC North | NFC North | AFC South | NFC South | AFC West | NFC West)

2025 NFL Draft Wish List: AFC East

Buffalo Bills

• First pick: 1st round, projected 30th overall
• Total first-rounders: 1
• Total selections: 10

Josh Allen finally won the MVP (you could have switched the winners in 2023 and 2024 and it would have made more sense, but in the end, Allen and Lamar Jackson each got one), but the Bills once again fell short to the Chiefs. And it once again felt like lack of weapons was the reason. (Or at least lack of weapons coming up big in the big spots.)

Cornerback or safety is the hot mock pick, but I’m still looking at WR. Stefon Diggs is long gone, and while Keon Coleman was a solid rookie, Bills fans can’t help but feel cheated that they could’ve had Ladd McConkey or Xavier Worthy instead.

So for fantasy purposes, the wish list includes Buffalo landing a player like Emeka Egbuka. The top-flight WRs in this year’s class might be too pricey to trade up for, but if Egbuka starts to slip into the 20s, Buffalo might even trade up to pounce (for the sake of our fantasy teams).

Or perhaps Egbuka falls at the end of Round 1! Later mocks have also seen Luther Burden III out of Missouri going toward the end of Round 1. But he feels very similar to Khalil Shakir in terms of usage, and the Bills just locked him up.

If the Bills go defense in Round 1, they are in a good spot to take a WR in Round 2 and beyond. Players like Jayden Higgins or Elic Ayomanor would be on my want list in this range.

Miami Dolphins

• First pick: 1st round, 13th overall
• Total first-rounders: 1
• Total selections: 10

Miami’s 2024 was a huge letdown. The team is stacked on offense with Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane — but Hill took a step back, Tua Tagovailoa was hurt (again), and the offense fell flat.

If Hill bounces back, the wish list here is basically just TE Tyler Warren. End of article. Warren is an elite blocker and receiver and would fill the clear missing link in terms of offensive firepower.

But if Hill really is on the decline (and he probably is), then targeting Tetairoa McMillan in the first round would be fun for fantasy. Earlier mock drafts had Tet going as high as the top five, but it seems like he might be available in the mid-range, which is where Miami picks from.

He’s not Tyreek in terms of raw speed (duh), but Tet makes up for it with elite ball skills, body control and a huge catch radius. He’d fit well with Tua’s timing-based passing game. Slotting him opposite Waddle would give the Dolphins a true outside threat who can win contested catches and dominate in the red zone, something Miami’s offense lacked in 2024.

If Mike McDaniel wants to stay explosive without over-relying on Hill, Tet could be the perfect long-term playmaker to keep the offense humming.

New York Jets

• First pick: 1st round, 7th overall
• Total first-rounders: 1
• Total selections: 8

With the recent acquisition of quarterback Justin Fields, the focus shifts to surrounding him with dynamic playmakers and fortifying the offensive line to maximize his potential.​ Fields has been sacked a ton in his young NFL career, and while most of that fall on him, if a player like Will Campbell falls a few picks, the Jets should strongly consider scooping him up.

Receiver is also still a need. Garrett Wilson’s a star, but there’s nothing beyond that. As we noted in the Dolphins section, Tet McMillan brings size and contested-catch ability and would pair well with Wilson. Mock drafts have McMillan going all over the place — but he’s most likely going to be available when the Jets are on the clock.

One of the more popular mocks is TE Tyler Warren to the Jets at 7 overall. He’s the best TE in the draft class, and we saw how impressive new-age TEs can be (Brock Bowers) — even on bad teams. Warren isn’t as elite of a prospect as Bowers, but if he’s selected by the Jets this early, he’ll see a ton of volume and likely be a fantasy TE1.

This one feels like the most unrealistic, but since this is a wish list, we’ll throw it in here: The Jets need both a WR and a CB. If Travis Hunter somehow falls to Pick 7 … how about the Jets get a 2-for-1?

New England Patriots

• First pick: 1st round, projected 4th
• Total first-rounders: 1
• Total selections: 9

The Mike Vrabel era kicks off in fun fashion for the Patriots: They “won” free agency (which totally counts, right?) and they are lined up to get an elite player in the draft. If they hadn’t won a completely meaningless Week 18 game, they’d have the first overall pick, but in the end, it’s going to work out okay for the Pats. With all three teams in front of them needing QBs — there’s a good chance two of the first three picks will be players the Patriots wouldn’t have selected anyway.

The boringggggg but realistic answer here is for the Pats to scoop up an OL like Will Campbell out of LSU. This is the most realistic because the team needs to protect Josh Allen 2.0 aka Drake Maye. He’s the future.

But the more fun and also realistic answer is Travis Hunter. The Patriots also need to give Maye some weapons! Sure, they added Stefon Diggs (and Mack Hollins, rejoice!) via free agency, but pair Maye up with an elite WR like Hunter and fix the OL later. It’s the Bengals way! (Except the Patriots actually have a defense, unlike the Bengals.)

Seriously, New England: Draft Travis Hunter if available!

New England does have a high pick in Round 2 (38 overall) and Round 3 (69 overall, here’s to hoping Rob Gronkowski gets to announce that pick), so we may see some offensive players in those rounds — including possibly at RB.

WRs that might fall all the way to 38 include Emeka Embuka, Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden or TEs like Elijah Arroyo or Mason Taylor. The Patriots double-dipped at WR in the draft last year, but neither of those rookies made an impact. It will be a shock if New England doesn’t spend one of its first two picks on a WR. In Round 3, a popular-and-fun-to-think-about mock is big Jayden Higgins going to New England. He’s a fit for both position and profile.

At RB, if the Patriots strike early, there’s a chance Omarion Hampton falls out of Round 1. Not a high chance, but if that happens, the wish list would include New England moving up a few picks to start Day 2 to draft him. Fast-riser Quinshon Judkins is also likely to be available in Round 2.