Sunday’s Week 9 road game against the Tennessee Titans will officially fall as a loss for New England Patriots. But it could be a big win in the long run.

Rookie quarterback Drake Maye forces Patriots into overtime He played a great game evading passers and finding running back Rhamondre Stevenson for a 5-yard touchdown pass, tying the score at 17-17 as time expired. New England lost 20-17 in overtime, but Maye’s effort was a step forward in his development.

But more importantly for the Patriots, the loss dropped their record to 2-7 and, as a result, they landed the No. 1 pick spot in the updated rankings in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Carolina Panthers’ surprising win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon provided a big help to the Patriots from a draft ranking perspective. The Panthers entered Week 9 with a league-worst record of 1-7.

New England is one of seven teams at the bottom of the standings with a 2-7 record, but the AFC East team owns the tiebreaker with the worst strength on the schedule. Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants Join Patriots, Saints and Panthers at 2-7, Miami Dolphins and the Titans are 2-6.

Here’s an updated look at the rankings of the top 10 picks in the 2025 draft. It will be updated throughout the remainder of Week 9 as more games are concluded.