The Patriots' lead man, Mike Vrabel, started his first Patriots' offseason in fine style. He added three solid offensive line additions, a top wideout, and many outstanding defensive players who fit the defense he wants to implement to a T. Grade thus far: A (incomplete - offensive left tackle).
Vrabel must do whatever it takes to bolster the offensive left tackle position first and foremost in the draft. If he doesn't, he'll once again consign this formerly great franchise to the bottom of the AFC East. Vrabel will not take the spurious course that the 2024 personnel operation did and neglect the second-most-important position on the entire roster. He'll fortify the left tackle in the draft.
Two options that provide increased flexibility for Vrabel to accomplish are positional changes in his current roster. Two players, both former premium draft picks (rounds 1-3), will provide that flexibility if he's discerning enough to make the changes. Let's take a look at these two players and make the cases.
Two positional changes that will help Mike Vrabel in the 2025 NFL draft
Keion White, defensive tackle
The Patriots need to bolster their defensive tackle position in the draft. With the trade of Davon Godchaux, the non-re-signing of Daniel Ekuale, and the still-concerning health situation of super defensive tackle Christian Barmore, two, if not three, additions are necessary.
For the past two seasons, one under Bill Belichick and the other under Jerod Mayo, the Patriots misdeployed one of their best defensive tackles, Keion White, on the edge far too often. A talent drain on the edge perhaps necessitated that mistake, but a flub-up nonetheless.
White is a terrific penetrating defensive tackle when employed inside in a gap. The Patriots, perhaps out of dire necessity, played him on the edge and even in coverage at times to try to overcome personnel deficiencies on the edge when Matt Judon was injured in 2023 and then subsequently traded in 2024.
The Pats sought to compensate by misplaying White outside, weakening the inside, and not thoroughly remedying the outside. The results were, in part, a contributing factor to two consecutive last-place finishes in the AFC East. This year, Vrabel can rectify that mistake.
The new Head Coach should play Keion White exclusively inside in a gap alongside Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, creating an insoluble interior blocking dilemma for any and every NFL opponent they face. You can't double-team all three. That's the first positional change suggested for Mike Vrabel.
Marcus Jones, wide receiver
The next suggestion is from defense to offense. Marcus Jones, a 2022 third-round pick, is a solid slot defensive back when he's on the field, though he's sometimes been injured. In 2023, he missed all but two games due to injury. But when he's been deployed on offense occasionally, he's been the Patriots' most explosive offensive player.
The stats are sparse but telling. In 2022, he was targeted four times. He caught four passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. In 2024, he was targeted once. He caught that 18-yard pass and scored a touchdown.
Marcus Jones is a dynamic offensive playmaker, a Patriots' secret weapon of sorts at wide receiver. That's where Mike Vrabel should deploy him, unless he thinks he can be his third-down back, a la James White. That should also be part of the discussion.
So what about his slot defensive back position? That answer is easy - find someone else. That's what good scouts and coaches are paid to do. Jones will be a far more productive wide receiver or even perhaps explosive third-down back than he's been as a defensive back, though he's been fine there.
Those suggestions may save Mike Vrabel draft capital this month if he plays two top players at their best positions in 2025. Vrabel is his own man, and nothing done erroneously in the past should, or will, keep him from doing what he thinks is best for the team. Hopefully, he'll adopt both of these options. The 2025 Patriots will benefit as a result.