New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)AP
All of the moves the Patriots have made so far during the offseason, all of coaching changes, free agent signings, and roster decisions, have led to here: the start of 2025 NFL draft.
Robert Kraft hired Mike Vrabel to replace one-and-done Jerod Mayo. He hired Vrabel, his coaching staff and personnel people to turn the NFL’s worst roster into a formidable contender.
While free agency is part of the equation, that turnaround won’t happen without a run of successful drafts, starting with this one.
Good teams build through the draft. They land foundational players. Not one, but many. They supply a slate of building blocks, a collection of starters and All-Pros.
It’s no secret the Patriots have failed miserably at that mission in recent years. Full draft classes have only netted one, maybe two useful players during Bill Belichick’s final years. School’s still out on Mayo’s only draft last year.
So the burden is on Vrabel to change that storyline.
It was Vrabel who pointed out at the league meetings that the Patriots had “won March.” That was a nod toward free agency.
Now, they have to win April. They need an exceptional draft.
Failure really isn’t an option.
The Patriots cannot blow another one. After back-to-back 4-13 seasons, two coaching changes, and having a non-competitive roster, it’s that simple.
The team’s most glaring need?
Talent. They need more stars.
That means drafting the best player available at No. 4. Not the best available left tackle, just because that’s the biggest and most significant hole on the roster.
The Patriots need to build that foundation. They need to assemble a core of stars. That’s the priority.
That doesn’t happen by passing up players who are more talented when they’re on the clock, especially that early in the first round.
For the Patriots, the pick at No. 4 has to be the table-setter for the rest of the draft.
Taking LSU left tackle Will Campbell, who is considered the best at the position on many draft boards, wouldn’t be a terrible choice at No. 4 given the importance of protecting Drake Maye.
He just wouldn’t be the right one.
Even if Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Penn State’s Abdul Carter are off the board, there will still be better prospects than Campbell available.
Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Penn State tight end Tyler Warren will still be on the board. On many draft boards, all of these players would be considered a “best player available” compared with Campbell.
Case in point, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, one of the most respected pre-draft evaluators in the business, has Campbell ranked 11th in his latest Top 150.
Best player? Biggest need? The direction the Patriots choose right out of the gate is important.
In a draft that’s not rife with blue chip talent, that’s the most agonizing question for Vrabel as he navigates his first draft in New England.
“Well, we’d love for them to align, having a need and having the best player be there,” Vrabel said last week during his pre-draft press conference. “That doesn’t always happen, and we certainly want to pick the best player as many times as we can and the player that we think at that point is the best player. Then we’ll figure it out.
“Maybe you look at one position and we may have some returning starters or we feel like are starters, or there’s depth at that position, but to add premium players when available is something that you should probably always try to do.”
What qualifies as a premium player?
It’s quarterback, wide receiver, offensive tackle, cornerback and edge rusher.
The Patriots have the quarterback and cornerback boxes checked off. That leaves wide receiver, offensive tackle and edge rusher.
What Vrabel & Co. need to ask themselves is how much better is Campbell than the other top tackles in the draft class.
More to the point, can you take a tackle at No. 4, who might ultimately wind up as a guard?
That depends.
John Hannah was the No. 4 overall pick for the Patriots in 1973. He played guard, and he’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
While Campbell is good, he’s not projected to achieve such lofty heights. Tackles with short arms rarely, if ever, do.
“I think there’s some starting tackles that certainly will come in and start in the NFL. I think that that’s really what you start to look for, impact players,” Vrabel said when asked specifically if there was a tackle in the class worthy of being selected at No. 4. “When you start picking that high, what they’re going to do for you, what’s the impact, what’s the position, you talk about premium positions. That’s where you weigh all the circumstances and end up making that pick. Do I think that there are starters in this draft that left tackle? Yes, I do.”
Being a starter, and the type of elite player NFL teams are supposed to land at No. 4 are two different animals.
Knowing that, it would behoove the Patriots to take whoever they deem the best player available.
Perhaps the Patriots have Campbell the next best after Hunter and Carter. If that’s the case, it’ll be tough to argue with that selection.
Given Campbell’s flaw, it’s just hard believing that’s the case. Although, each of the top targets outside of Campbell also have issues.
Graham (too small), Walker (tweener), Jeantry (position value), Warren (position value) aren’t perfect.
And if the Patriots like Missouri’s Armand Membou better than Campbell, he’s been a right tackle only.
Even with that, even without a consensus by experts as to the next best after Hunter and Carter, the Patriots need to emerge with a hit at No. 4.
Me?
I’d take Walker having confidence he’d be a star in Vrabel and Terrell Williams’ defense.
Then, strike for a tackle in the second round. Or sooner.
If they take Walker, Graham or Jeantry, they could trade back into the first to land whichever tackle they desire.
Going with the safe play at No. 4 isn’t the tone Vrabel should want to set. Passing on better players to fill needs isn’t a recipe for draft success.
Even Eliot Wolf, the team’s executive vice president of player personnel, admitted as much recently.
It’s time to be creative. Take the best player, the star at No. 4, and make the necessary moves to get the best tackle after that.
It’s not rocket science. It’s common sense.
