Mike Vrabel has big goals for his first Patriots draft class (2025)

FOXBOROUGH – Mike Vrabel’s first draft class with the Patriots is a big one.

A year after starting a rebuild with a new coach, following a 4-win season, things haven’t changed much in New England. Once again coming off a 4-win season, with a new head coach, the Patriots head into the 2025 NFL Draft needing to hit on their picks.

Last year, the Patriots unquestionably hit on Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick. This year, they need to only select the right player at No. 4 but add multiple building blocks after that.

On Tuesday, Vrabel said he has big goals for his first draft class in New England.

“It’s to add as many quality players and quality people. We want to come out of it with some starters,” Vrabel said. “We want to come out of it with some depth, role players that can build the strength and the depth of the roster, the backup players, situational players. There’s just trying to find a fit for all these different players, where they are, and what we see them doing. And then ultimately, they’ll come in and define their role.”

A year ago, a source told MassLive that the Patriots believed they needed three solid draft classes to get this roster to a competitive level. That meant drafting four to five starters each year.

Last year, following Maye, the Patriots received little help from players drafted in the second (Ja’Lynn Polk), third (Caedan Wallace), and fourth (Javon Baker and Layden Robinson) rounds. That’s why the team heads into this draft in a similar spot still needing help on the offensive line and at receiver.

Along with finding starting-caliber players, Vrabel has also noted the importance of finding good culture fits for his locker room. He aimed to do that in free agency, bringing in multiple former captains and said the same applies to his approach in the draft when deciding who to pick at No. 4.

“Well, I think where we’re drafting, there’s a handful of guys,” Vrabel said. “We’re not in the market for a quarterback, so that’ll eliminate anybody that throws the football. But I do think that there are players that we covet at every level. I think that’s the thing that we find as you go through. It’s a package. It’s a complete package. It’s about the player, the person, and the most important thing for me is the vision we have for them and the impact they’re going to make in the locker room and in the community.”

At No. 4, the most likely candidates are LSU tackle Will Campbell, edge rusher/linebacker Javon Walker, defensive tackle Mason Graham, and Missouri tackle Armand Membou. There could also be a chance (although a slight one) that someone like Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter or Colorado receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter fall out of the top 3.

If that happened, Carter or Hunter would represent best-case scenario options.

Of course, neither hit the Patriots biggest need, which is left tackle. The Patriots need to come out of this draft with a starting-caliber player to protect Maye’s blindside. On Tuesday, Vrabel said he sees multiple potential starting left tackles in this draft.

Would Vrabel draft a tackle if there’s another player who’s ranked higher on the board? The Patriots coach said in an ideal world, the team’s needs and the best available prospect match up.

“Would love for them to align - having a need and having the best player be there,” Vrabel said. “That doesn’t always happen, and we certainly want to pick the best player as many times as we can... To add premium players when available is something you should always try to do.”

Whether the Patriots draft Campbell or somehow end up with Carter, all that matters is they make the right picks. After swinging and missing last year, the Patriots can’t afford to do the same next week.

That’s part of the reason why history repeated itself with a 4-win team picking in the top five – they don’t have enough talent.

“We don’t want to take risks. I mean, we want to be aggressive,” Vrabel said. “I think there’s a difference between taking risks and being aggressive in adding quality players and people to the roster… You can’t win. You can’t do what we want to do with just a bunch of dudes. That’s not going to get it done.”