The Patriots played their preseason finale on Thursday night against the Giants, and it provided a lot of intel on who might make the team from those who went into the week on the roster bubble.
Beyond the obvious who failed to make a dent in their chances this summer, it's clear now who will either, at the very least, be relegated to the practice squad or hope to be picked up by another team for the season ahead.
For the amount of positional battles there were this offseason, it's shocking that several names were still in the conversation to this point. It shows just how good the new regime stacked the team ahead of a very telling season, but now we have the clarity of what the 2025 roster might look like.
3 Patriots draft picks who won't make it to the 2025 roster
G Cole Strange
The offensive line has been one of the most competitive battles of the summer in New England, but not always for a good reason. There are a few players who have seemingly locked down the starting roles already, like LT Will Campbell, RG Mike Onwenu and RT Morgan Moses. But beyond that is questionable.
That created an opening for Cole Strange to takeover at either left guard or center, both positions of which he was given plenty of reps at during training camp. But he hasn't thrived in either spot, and his performance against the Giants certainly didn't help things.
Strange has been unable to prove his value over rookie Jared Wilson, who was drafted as a center but has appeared to steal the job at left guard. The veteran has failed to solidify himself on the depth chart, and at the very best, could be a third-stringer. However, it's looking more and more like he will be cut and prove further to be one of the worst draft picks of Bill Belichick's career.
CB Jordan Polk (UDFA)
The secondary has been one of the stronger units on the Patriots' defense over the last few years, and that is not expected to change for the 2025 season. A cornerback room led by Carlton Davis and Christian Gonzalez is also packed with solid depth, but one player who has performed well at practice might have sealed his fate with a brutal showing against the Giants on Thursday night.
Jordan Polk has received a lot of praise over the past week from the coaching staff, and although that might hold more weight when it comes down to making roster cuts, his mistakes during the preseason finale are certainly noteworthy.
Other than negating a fumble recovery and a pass breakup, both holding penalties were called on fourth down. Those cost the Patriots the chance to get the offense back on the field and allowed the Giants to run up the score even more.
That could be enough for Vrabel and Co. to reconsider his potential once the big lights come on and force them to move him to the practice squad, if not cut completely.
TE Jaheim Bell
Going into training camp, the top spots in the tight end room were already clearly mapped out with Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper as the instant go-tos. The rest of those on the roster were actively competing for the TE3 role, hoping that the new-look Patriots would even keep around a third tight end, and it's looking less and less likely that they will, unless he's set to serve as somewhat of a fullback.
Among those hoping an opportunity would present itself was second-year player Jaheim Bell. He was drafted last year by the Jerod Mayo staff, but was never given a proper chance to show what he could contribute on offense.
That was the case again this year, but he still couldn't manage to break out and carve a role for himself the way others competing for a roster spot did. This might mean Bell is headed for the practice squad, as he is still a promising player and could prove to be what the Patriots need in the future.