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The NFL Draft is just a week away, and for the New England Patriots, it may be their most important draft in franchise history.
New England owns the third overall pick, their lowest since they selected 10th overall in 2008 (ironically, that's when they selected new head coach Jerod Mayo).
Plus, for the first time in this millennium, Bill Belichick will not be on the Patriots' sideline as head coach. In fact, it's his first time not being employed by an NFL team since 1974.
Ex-Pats star Julian Edelman understands the circumstances.
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Wide receiver Julian Edelman of the New England Patriots runs onto the field before the game against the Cleveland Browns, Oct. 27, 2019, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
"There’s a lot of implications, who they’re going to take. So, it’s going to be a fun draft for the New England Patriots for the organization and the fan base," he told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.
It’s going to be an even more fun night for one lucky Pats fan, though. Bud Light and the Patriots are giving away the Bud Light Easy Wish NFL Draft Experience, where one fan (of legal drinking age, of course) will win a grand prize of personal face time with Edelman, flying on the Patriots team plane, becoming the first Pats fan to meet their first-round pick, and announcing the team's third-round selection.
"I’m very excited. Bud Light has been around the Patriots. I’ve seen them for a long time, and to finally get to work with them during this time of the year, which is draft time, for the fans with this experience that they’re giving away – the Bud Light Easy Wish NFL Draft Experience – it’s exciting," Edelman said. "This is an opportunity for a fan to get to go on the team plane, to get to go out and call out the third-round draft pick."
"We’ve all seen the celebrity fans, the former players, now you get to be the person to go out and give the third-round pick of the New England Patriots. That’s got to be a fun experience just thinking about it. I just thought it’d be fun," he said.
Former New England Patriots star Julian Edelman is honored during halftime at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Sept. 26, 2021. (David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports)
Bud Light, of course, made headlines when it featured transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney on one of its cans, but Edelman sees some similarities between the brand and the team, just as UFC star Dustin Poirier did when he partnered with the brand.
"It’s kind of like anything. You’re always excited for what’s going to happen going forward, and we’re on to the Easy Wish NFL Draft Experience. We’re on to easy wishes, bro," he said, seemingly unafraid of any backlash.
New England's draft position puts it in prime position to take a quarterback. The Patriots selected Mac Jones with the 15th overall pick in 2021, one year after the Tom Brady era ended. That didn't pan out, and Jones is now a backup in Jacksonville.
Julian Edelman of the New England Patriots celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 1, 2015. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Edelman, with "zero sources," thinks they'll take UNC quarterback Drake Maye (after Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels), but wouldn't be surprised if they "try to get sexy."
"What are they going to do? Who knows? They might try to get sexy and trade the draft pick, get another guy here. We have a lot of holes. They have a lot of holes in that team that are key positions, where this draft is heavy on where they can pick up some good players to make that team closer to where they want to get to."
The NFL Draft kicks off April 25 in Detroit.
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