The Patriots under Mike Vrabel have just conducted the very best offseason in recent memory. It was a masterclass by the experienced and uber-savvy Big Mike, who's clearly emerged from his exile as an NFL Head Coach with renewed vigor and unquestionable perspicacity. The new Vrabel is a Super Bowl-winning coach/GM in the making.
While the free agency period, and even the under-the-radar for most fans, undrafted free agency period (UDFA), is now mostly complete, we turn now to predict just how the Patriots' new draft class will perform in 2025. How they do will have a significant, if not determining, impact on the 2025 season.
Drafts that look great on paper often fall into disrepute when the rubber meets the road, or more accurately, the cleats meet the artificial turf. So let's take a look at the players several evaluators graded as an A or so draft, and predict how well these rookies will perform.
Predicting how the Patriots 2025 draft class will fare during their rookie season
Round 1, pick No.4: Will Campbell, LT, LSU
The Patriots had several overarching needs in the 2025 NFL draft. Nothing was more compelling than adding a left tackle or two to fortify a position that was neglected in the 2024 off-season. It was essential to fill that offensive left tackle spot. Vrabel filled it in style in the first round at pick No. 4 with Will Campbell of LSU.
You can't do better than taking the draft's best player at your most needed position with your first pick. He was Pro Football Weekly's (PFF) top-rated tackle and left tackle in the draft. In Campbell, the Patriots landed the best player at the position available. He starts from Day One as Drake Maye's top protector. He's the All-Rookie Team's left tackle.
Round 2, pick No. 39: TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
The Patriots' running back room is thin. Underperforming and fumbling Rhamondre Stevenson is the top runner and a possible trade candidate. Antonio Gibson is also there, and there's no one else. Henderson enters a room screaming for playmakers. He's one of them, a threat to take it to the house on every play.
Henderson instantly becomes the Pats' most explosive running back. He's a bigger, faster, and only slightly less-shifty than former Patriots' flash, Dion Lewis. His addition spells big trouble for NFL defenses. He projects to the All-Rookie team, except for Ashton Jeanty.
Round 3, pick No. 69: Kyle Williams, WR, Washington State
Williams delivers what Henderson brings to the backfield to the wide receiver room. He's an immediate starter at the Y position. Williams will accompany Stefon Diggs when healthy, and Pop Douglas as the Pats' top receivers. The wide receiver room has been upgraded dramatically.
Williams is an explosive home run hitter who, like Henderson, is a threat to take it to the house on every reception, end-around, or any other way Drake Maye gets him the rock. His first step is otherworldly as he instantly gets up to speed and goes to the races. Added to Henderson, he'll be a nightmare for NFL defenses and will contend for the All-Rookie Team.
Round 3, pick No. 95: Jared Wilson, C, Georgia
The Pats needed to further bolster the center position after signing Garrett Bradbury in free agency and releasing David Andrews. They drafted Georgia's top center, Jared Wilson. He's an immediate threat to oust Bradbury or take the starting position at left guard.
Wilson was rock solid, anchoring the pivot on the Bulldogs' always talented offensive line. He was PFF's top-rated center and third-rated interior lineman, period. If that isn't enough, his comp from this vantage point is a Hall-of-Famer, Miami Dolphins, Dwight Stevenson. Wilson eventually starts somewhere and will likely be on the All-Rookie team.
Round 4, pick No. 95: Craig Woodson, DB, Cal
Woodson was the Patriots' most polarizing pick and is considered a "reach" or drafted higher (maybe much higher in this case) than the consensus would suggest. That's never a good thing. He's a decent enough player, but didn't warrant a fourth-round pick, and neither was safety a top position of need for the Patriots. He was Mike Vrabel's only seriously questionable pick.
Woodson's selection will only make a modicum of sense if Vrabel intends to cut ties with Kyle Dugger (a trade candidate), Jabrill Peppers, and Marte Mapu. Regardless, it's the worst-rated pick of 2025. To make matters worse was the opportunity cost. The Pats passed on Ohio State's playmaking edge, Jack Sawyer, who went to the Steelers. It was a major gaffe. Woodson is a special-teams player.
Round 4, pick No. 137: Joshua Farmer, DT, Florida State
The Patriots needed to add to the interior defensive line. Doing so in the fourth round was decent, and they made a solid addition, Joshua Farmer from Florida State. Farmer makes plays. He had eight tackles for loss and four sacks in 2024.
Farmer joins a fearsome trio consisting of free agent signing, Milton Williams, a hopefully fully fit Christian Barmore, and, if positioned adequately at defensive tackle (not on the edge), Keion White. It's an impressive array of ferocious penetrators. Farmer will fit right in as a rotational player in 2025.
Round 5, pick No. 146: Bradyn Swinson, EDGE, LSU
Swinson was a terrific value pick in the fifth round. He's a playmaker who racked up 58 total stops, 13 tackles for loss, three passes defended, two forced fumbles, and a solid 8.5 sacks. He's a prototypical Mike Vrabel edge who gets upfield after the quarterback.
Swindon will step right into Vrabel's reconstructed edge position, which was decimated in 2024. He'll join fellow newcomers, free agent signees Harold Landry III, K'Layvon Chaisson, and re-signed Christian Elliss. Like Farmer, he enters the NFL with a chip on his shoulder, having been drafted lower than expected. That's all to the Patriots' good. He's a playmaking 2025 rotational edge.
Round 6, pick No. 182: Andres Borregales, K, Miami
The Patriots allowed disappointing 2024 kicker, Joey Slye, to leave in free agency. They only have Parker Romo on hand, and Borregales will compete with him for the starting job. Borregales made 100 percent of his extra points and 94.7 percent of his field goal attempts in 2024. All good there.
Vranbel again shows his perspicacity and clearly departs from Bill Belichick's tendency to overdraft special teamers. The sixth or seventh rounds are exactly where a kicker should be drafted. Borregales will win the Pats' 2025 kicker job and compete for All-Rookie team honors.
Round 7, pick No. 220: Marcus Bryant, OT, Missouri
There were a few bones of contention with Mike Vrabel's draft. One of them would have been drafting only one left tackle. The minimum thought here was at least two. He waited a bit long but met that floor in the seventh round. He selected Missouri's huge left tackle, Marcus Bryant.
Bryant played opposite first-round pick Armand Membou, who played on the right side. No, the Tigers didn't have a left-handed quarterback. Bryant manned the top protector position. That of itself is interesting. You need more than one left tackle, as the Pats had none in 2024. He has a chance to make the team as a backup left tackle and see some playing time during the season.
Round 7, pick No. 257: Kobee Minor, CB, Memphis
The Patriots selected Kobee Minor, a cornerback from Memphis, with their final pick. His initial claim to fame will be as the so-called "Mr. Irrelevant", the last pick in the entire draft. It's good for some publicity and a nice check.
Absent that claim to fame, Minor can play a little bit. He had 38 total stops with seven tackles for loss, six passes defended, two forced fumbles, and two sacks in 2024. Those are solid numbers. He is of good size and has top playmaking instincts. He'll compete for a roster or practice squad spot in 2025.
Those are predictions for every Patriots' 2025 draft pick. Check out the full reviews on each playerin the 2025 draft grading article. There's a grade for each player and an overall draft grade. It will begin to be evident how well the Pats did in the draft when they get to the camps and play football. But things are looking up for now, and it's all systems GO for the 2025 New England Patriots.