Forgotten member of Patriots' loaded 2025 draft class has coaches buzzing

Most NFL teams would be happy to land two high-impact players in a single draft class. And if they're really lucky, maybe three.

However, the New England Patriots completely knocked it out of the park in the 2025 NFL Draft by landing four Day 1 starters in offensive linemen Will Campbell and Jared Wilson, safety Craig Woodson, and kicker Andy Borregales. Plus, second-round running back TreVeyon Henderson racked up 1,132 total yards and 10 touchdowns while playing 46% of the offensive snaps.

But for all the success Mike Vrabel's first draft class experienced, one promising prospect failed to make a blip on the radar: Bradyn Swinson.

Viewed as a Day 2 talent by many draft experts, the former LSU defensive end fell to the fifth round, finally coming off the board with the 146th overall selection. What looked like a potential steal by the front office turned out to be a big flop, as Swinson failed to make the final 53-man roster out of training camp.

While many of his first-year teammates played significant roles as rookies, the 2024 second-team All-SEC selection spent most of the season on the practice squad.

Yet despite that shaky start, the 6-foot-4, 255-pound edge rusher has seemingly turned the corner just in time.

Bradyn Swinson is well on his way to earning a bigger role within the Patriots defense

MassLive's Karen Guregian spoke with several Patriots coaches on Swinson's rapid rise over the last few months. And based on those comments, it sure sounds like the second-year pro looks poised to compete for playing time at a position that isn't exactly well-stocked.

“There’s so many different ways you can look at that to our daily routine, the weight room, the diet, nutrition, all that stuff. Being all in on everything. Being consistent with that. Being consistent with our drills,” Patriots outside linebackers coach Mike Smith told Guregian. “To me, that’s what he’s been doing this spring. His body’s changed. He’s gotten stronger. It’s his second year, and I think that’s a big thing for him. He is another one who had a good spring.”

Coming off a nondescript rookie season, Swinson has an opportunity to rewrite the narrative and showcase the skills that helped him rack up 8.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles in his final year at LSU. After all, it's not like the Patriots have an abundance of riches at the outside linebacker/edge rusher position.

With aging veteran Harold Landry coming off a knee injury, and second-round rookie Gabe Jacas still working his way back to full strength (and still waiting to sign his contract), the door is open for Swinson to make his presence known this summer.

And based on Vrabel's comments to Guregian, it wouldn't be a surprise to see a major second-year leap from the team's fifth-round pick a year ago.

“Young players that work hard and have a full offseason to train, sometimes that’s a great window of opportunity for a guy that is 22, 23 years old, to make some significant improvement in their speed, in their strength, explosion,” Vrabel said.

Obviously, it takes more than getting bigger, stronger, and faster to earn a role and actually make an impact on the field. But if Swinson builds off his impressive offseason, there's a good chance the Patriots will have yet another member of their loaded 2025 draft class playing significant snaps in 2026.

Can the former SEC standout go from a forgotten fifth-round pick to a viable contributor? If so, that would be a big boost to a defense that only recorded 35 sacks a year ago.

And with coaches already acknowledging Swinson's improvement, the arrow is clearly pointing up for a player who should have no shortage of motivation to make his mark in Foxboro.

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