Patriots draft recap: Vrabel cleans house

One thing has become abundantly clear since Mike Vrabel became head coach of the New England Patriots. This is his team. Anything that happened before January 12, 2025 – the day Vrabel was hired – does not matter. Throw sentimentality out the window.

In fact, if a player had any lasting connection, especially a leadership role, with the losing culture of the previous five years, Vrabel wants nothing to do with that kind of negative energy. Gone are Jacoby Brissett, Deatrich Wise, Ja'Whaun Bentley, and David Andrews.

Andrews played his entire 10-year career with the Patriots and played on two Super Bowl championship teams. It didn't matter. He was released on March 13.

Bentley lead the team in tackles three consecutive seasons from 2021-2023. He would have led the team in tackles last year, too, if he didn't suffer a season-ending injury in Week 4. It didn't matter. He was released March 28.

Vrabel is looking to begin anew. He is taking a wrecking ball to the roster. No one is safe – not even long snapper, Joe Cardona, who, for now, is the longest tenured player on the team.

If anyone needed any more evidence that Vrabel's intention is not to try to extend the Belichick/Brady dynasty which lasted close to two decades, but instead to create a new era and, hopefully, dynasty that is all his, one needs to look no further than last week's NFL draft.

Vrabel revamped the defense in free agency with the additions of Milton Williams, Harold Landry, Carlton Davis III, Robert Spillane, K'Lavon Chaisson, Marcus Epps, and Khyiris Tonga. The criticism was that not enough was done to help Drake Maye and the offense. What people neglected to have the foresight, or patience, to understand was that there was still a draft to come.

Let's take a look at how the draft played out. Vrabel and, to a lesser extent, Eliot Wolf have received almost universal praise for their handling of this draft.

Round 1, pick 4, Will Campbell, offensive tackle (guard?)

The reaction at the Patriots draft party at Gillette Stadium pretty much sums up my reaction to this pick. It wasn't jubilation when Campbell's name was announced, but more like a polite, hesitant golf clap.

It was like a bowl of, dare I say, Campbell soup. It is bland and reliable and gets the job done, but it is nothing to get excited about.

I wrote earlier this week about the "snow globe principle" when it comes to the NFL draft. The media can shake things up in the tirelessly, long days leading up to the draft, but, in the end, the draft usually settles the way it originally looked like from the very beginning.

Almost since last September, it looked like the Patriots were keyed in on drafting Will Campbell. How bad did they have to suck to be in position to draft him? many speculated. It wasn't quite like "suck for Luck" back in the day with the Colts, but it was close.

The Patriots' pathetic season put them in prime position to draft Campbell, but then wandering eyes began looking around at other options.

I, for one, was in favor of trading down and drafting Penn State tight end, Tyler Warren (who Indianapolis got as a steal at pick 14). I think the Patriots would have preferred to have traded down and still have had a chance at drafting Campbell lower, or settle for one of the other two top tackles (Membou or Banks), plus accumulate a little more draft capital, but the phones weren't ringing.

It is notable that Cleveland traded their no.2 overall pick to Jacksonville and in return for moving down just three picks, they got the Jaguars' no.5 overall pick, their second and fourth round picks this year, and their first round pick next year. Thank you, Jerod Mayo, for going all out to win the final game of the season against the Bills last year. The Patriots should be the ones receiving that haul.

There was no way the Patriots would get anywhere near that kind of compensation for the fourth overall pick. I do think they could have played their cards differently, however, if they would have gotten word out that they were seriously contemplating taking running back Ashton Jeanty with this pick.

After Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter, Jeanty was the only other player in the draft that could have been considered a "blue chip" prospect. The Patriots may have been able to receive offers from the Raiders, Bears, Cowboys, and/or Broncos.

As it is, best case scenario – Campbell will be protecting Drake Maye's blind side for the next ten years. Worst case scenario – Campbell will draw comparisons to John Hannah at left guard when all is said and done. I could live with that.

Grade: B+

Round 2, pick 38, TreVeyon Henderson, running back

I, and many revised mock drafts after day one, was targeting wide receiver Jayden Higgins with this pick. When the Texans took Higgins with the 34th pick, I started considering the possibility of passing on wide receiver and drafting the explosive Henderson, who many projected to be a first round pick.

When the Browns picked Henderson's teammate and slightly less heralded running back prospect, Quinshon Judkins, at 36, I thought the Browns had botched another draft pick. The Patriots had to take advantage.

I kept thinking back to Robert Kraft at the owners meetings last month.

About halfway through his interview with the media, Kraft says,

"Any of us who are fans of the team know we want to try to strengthen the offense a little, you know, on the line, and in the receiver area

[Kraft hesitates for a second]

uh, maybe, a speed running back. But I am talking as a fan, uh, but I have confidence that this group is all on the same page.

Sorry, but Robert Kraft is not just "a fan." When the boss says he wants something, his employees better get him that thing. We should read between the lines when he says he has confidence everyone "is on the same page." That means his page.

There were plenty of speed backs in this draft and, from all accounts, the depth at running back was deep in this draft. It would be understandable to question picking a running back this high in any draft, but particularly this one.

However, Henderson is more than just a running back, which makes this pick more than palpable. He is a game breaker – capable of scoring on any play from anywhere on the field. I mentioned in my draft preview article that I would be looking to draft an explosive running back similar to Miami's De'Von Achane.

Henderson averaged 7.1 yards per carry last season for Ohio State and caught 27 passes. Equally impressive is his pass blocking as he doesn't look to just get in the way of blitzing linebackers, he looks to put a hurt on them. When I saw this clip of Henderson talking to former head coach Jon Gruden, I fell in love with the guy:

Grade: A

Round 3, pick 69, Kyle Williams, wide receiver

When the Patriots missed out on Higgins, I was leaning towards drafting Luther Burden III with New England's second pick, but I knew he was slipping due to some work ethic issues (contrast that with the clip of Henderson eager to improve and work with Gruden, above). The next wide receiver I had on my list was Tre Harris, but he didn't make it out of the second round.

The Patriots, not surprisingly, had an ace up their sleeve with Kyle Williams. Williams had an incredible 14 touchdown receptions with Washington State University last year, averaging 17.1 yards per catch.

The Patriots have had issues with receivers not being able to separate. That is Williams' strength. Watch Williams blow past Travis Hunter and tell me you're not excited:

Between Henderson and Williams, the Patriots now have two guys that can score from anywhere on the field. That is two more than they had last year.

Grade: A-

Round 3, Pick 95, Jared Wilson, center

I didn't get a chance to post it on social media (so it's not official, right?), but I texted a friend that this was a good spot to draft Wilson. Here's proof

I wasn't happy with the release of David Andrews, and I didn't feel comforted when they signed Garrett Bradbury, who ranked as one of the worst centers in the NFL last year in pass protection. There is a reason he was released by Minnesota.

Wilson only started one year at center at Georgia, but was considered the best pure center in the draft. His athleticism is through the roof.

It wouldn't surprise me if Bradbury never sees the field in a Patriots' uniform.

Grade: A

Round 4, pick 106, Craig Woodson, safety

After an awesome Day Two of drafting, I was excited to see what Day Three would bring. The Patriots' first pick on Day Three was the first head-scratcher for me.

Safety didn't seem like a position of top priority to me, although the Patriots never have found a suitable replacement for Devin McCourty to patrol center field. Kyle Duggar and Jabrill Peppers are solid safeties, but they better suited for playing close to the line of scrimmage and are not good in pass coverage.

With all the changes Vrabel has made cutting ties with the past, it makes me wonder if Duggar and/or Peppers' days are numbered. Cardona and Peppers are the only two surviving captains from last year. We can assume Cardona will be gone. Peppers had the serious off field issues last year.

Woodson was the first reach for the Patriots as he was projected to go in the fifth or sixth round. I had a little bit of Belichickian PTSD with this pick. I keep hearing his strength is his ability to communicate and his high football IQ. Communication has been an issue with the Patriots' secondary since McCourty retired. Will Woodson come in and command the respect of this veteran group as a vocal leader? I doubt it.

Grade: C

Round 4, pick 137, Joshua Farmer, defensive tackle

The Patriots assuaged my disappointment in a big way with the next two picks. Farmer is a steal in the fourth round. In his first availability with the Boston media, he expressed how he had draft parties at his house on Thursday and Friday because he expected to get drafted somewhere in the first two rounds.

You have to love his attitude, though, unlike how Javon Baker reacted last year to falling in the draft. When Farmer was asked if he was going to have a chip on his shoulder being drafted so late, he focused his attention to the team and his new teammates,

"I'm in the right situation. Me and Milton and Christian – we got some dawgs now. It's not going to be the same. We're bringing back the old New England.

Bringing back the old New England. You gotta love the sound of that.

NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry posted on X that Farmer was ranked number 86 on the Consensus Big Board coming into the draft. The Patriots got him at 137. That's almost two rounds later than where he should have gone. That's value.

He has drawn comparisons to Christian Barmore, but he reminds me more of Milton Williams. Hopefully, we get to see the comparison side-by-side this season.

Grade: A+

Round 5, pick 146, Bradyn Swinson, EDGE

According to Perry's post, Swinson was number 70 on the Big Board. The Patriots got him at 146. That's even more of a value than Farmer.

Swinson may have slipped because he was suspended for one quarter of one game for "not meeting team standards." It doesn't appear to be much of an issue from listening to his first interaction with the Boston media.

I was even more encouraged and excited when he said, "You got a dawg, man. You got a steal." Being a dawg, I guess, is a theme of this draft.

He was a teammate of Will Campbell at LSU so I'm sure Campbell would have warned the Patriots of any character issues.

Grade: A+

Round 6, pick 182, Andres Borregales, kicker

The Patriots made some trades in the mid-rounds to accumulate some extra late round draft picks. It made sense that they would use one of the draft picks on a kicker and, possibly, a quarterback.

As a quick aside, little did I know instead of using a late pick on a quarterback that they would use it on a long snapper. More on that in a second.

Vrabel's focus on defense in free agency and the offensive lines' strength, at this point, appearing to be run blocking, it appears the Patriots may be poised for a lot of 20-17 or 23-20 type games this season.

The difference may come down to a made or missed field goal here and there. It could mean the difference between a 10-7 team and a 7-10 team. That makes a consistent, clutch kicker all the more important to this Patriots team.

Borregales has proven to be both those things in college – consistent and clutch. The concern will be his ability to transfer that consistency and proficiency from Miami's warm weather climate to New England's unpredictable weather conditions. I'm not worried.

I hope that statement doesn't come back to bite me.

Grade: A

Round 7, pick 220, Marcus Bryant, offensive tackle

When the debate was brewing regarding whether the Patriots should draft Campbell at four or risk drafting Armand Membou, instead, and trying to convert him to left tackle, the argument was, "If Membou was so good at tackle, why wasn't he playing left tackle in college in his final year at Missouri?"

The answer was that Missouri was already set at left tackle. Their left tackle's name was Marcus Bryant.

Bryant has the size that Will Campbell wishes he had. Bryant is 6'7", 320 pounds, with ... wait for it... 35-inch arms (as opposed to Campbell's disputed 33-inch arms).

The Patriots needed to take another offensive tackle at some point to add depth to a position that killed them last year, and, in case – if somewhere down the road – they think they are better suited playing Campbell at guard.

Perish that thought, right? It has to be taken into consideration, though.

I had my hopes pinned to 6'8", 340 pound behemoth Hollin Pierce. Surprisingly, he went undrafted, and, even more sadly, the Eagles signed him as an undrafted free agent. You know if Belichick was in charge, he would have drafted Pierce in the second round. Pierce is from Rutgers, after all.

Grade: B-

Round 7, pick 251, Julian Ashby, long snapper

This is where Vrabel signalled his farewell to longtime long snapper, and Belichick favorite, Navy Midshipman Joe Cardona. The writing is on the wall for Joe. You don't spend a draft pick on a long snapper for him not to make the team. Couldn't the Patriots have gotten a quality long snapper as an undrafted free agent, though? And is 33-year-old Cardona over the hill for a long snapper?

Grade: F

Round 7, pick 257, Kobee Minor, defensive back

Good luck finding much information on Minor. In the one video I YouTue video I found, he looks like a linebacker playing cornerback with the way he hits. Vrabel preaches violence and Minor showed that in the video I saw. He has the potential to be very impactful on special teams.

Grade: C-