The Patriots have the fourth overall pick in the 2025 draft. And, they have tons of cash to burn. Only this year, there’s no reason for the coach to walk back that line.
With plenty of holes to fill, and plenty of musts on the priority list, the Patriots have to back up the Brink truck and get busy. Where will Mike Vrabel start? The Patriots coach provided a clue during his introductory press conference a few weeks ago. “Certainly, you look at the teams that are able to protect the quarterback and dictate the flow of the game offensively, making sure that up front we’re sound, we’re strong,” Vrabel said.
“Whether that’s through free agency or the draft, that’s something that’s critical.” The trenches are where it’s at. And this past season, the Patriots pretty much flunked on both sides of the ball.
Pass protection was a huge issue. So was run defense, and generating a pass rush. Vrabel won’t leave this to chance.
He won’t apply bandaids and pray they stick like Eliot Wolf & Co. did last year with the offensive line. He won’t roll the dice and hope a right tackle can play left and protect the blindside of his franchise quarterback Drake Maye.
Whether it’s free agency, the draft, or both, Vrabel will fix the perennial trouble spot. “If you look at who the coach is, he’s going to build from the inside out,” former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said during a recent episode of Eye on Foxborough. “For him, it’s going to be foundation first.
