Mike Vrabel's comments on key rookie could end Patriots' positional nightmare

It's no secret that tight ends typically take a little longer to develop than other offensive skill players.

After all, many collegiate tight ends essentially operate as jumbo slot receivers, meaning they often need time to gain strength, size, and blocking experience before they can ascend to a full-time role. Plus, mastering a complicated playbook takes time, especially if it's one devised by Josh McDaniels.

While that would ordinarily make Eli Raridon a poor bet to make a major impact as a rookie, don't count him out just yet.

In fact, if there's anyone who looks primed for a big first year in Foxboro, it's the talented third-round pick out of Notre Dame.

Things are trending in the right direction for Patriots' rookie Eli Raridon

Despite playing a notoriously tough position when it comes to the transition from college to the pros, Eli Raridon has a prime opportunity to prove the Patriots made the right call to spend a top-100 pick on him.

Of course, the initial plan was for Raridon to serve as the No. 3 tight end behind the veteran tandem of Hunter Henry and Julian Hill. However, with Hill suffering a season-ending injury about a month after the 2026 NFL Draft, that plan changed.

Now, the 6-foot-6, 245-pound Fighting Irish product looks like the odds-on favorite to pair up with Henry, the team's full-time starter since 2021.

Still, Raridon must earn the trust of Drake Maye and the coaching staff by demonstrating that he understands the playbook and the fundamentals of his position. That's a lot to ask of a 22-year-old who was a one-year starter in college.

But based on Mike Vrabel's comments during Monday's press conference, Raridon is on the right track.

"He rarely makes the same mistake twice," Vrabel told reporters on Aug. 17. "If we coach him on something or he didn't like what he did on one day, he usually comes back the next day and does a decent job at it."

Raridon entered the NFL with less experience than many of his peers. Although he appeared in 40 games for the Fighting Irish, he didn't start until his senior season.

As a result, Raridon didn't put up huge numbers (he totaled 48 receptions for 623 yards and three touchdowns), and didn't devote a ton of time blocking defensive ends. Yet even being a bit behind the proverbial eight ball hasn't slowed him down once the pads have come on.

"You can see him consciously trying to do the things that we're asking him to do, and I think we're headed in a good direction, but a long ways to go," Vrabel said.

Will the Patriots bolster their tight end depth before the season opener?

Even if you put on the most optimistic pair of glasses, projecting Raridon to be a Gronk-like presence in year one would be a massive stretch.

Heck, expecting him to put up 30+ catches in an offense that'll feature a lot of A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs seems pretty lofty—though that could easily happen if Henry goes down at any point.

The fact that the Patriots have to rely on a rookie is a direct reflection of how poorly they've managed the tight end position in recent years. Even with Rob Gronkowski mulling retirement, Bill Belichick refused to invest significant resources in finding his successor.

And no—the disastrous duo of Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene doesn't count.

Eliot Wolf—perhaps with some friendly nudging from Vrabel and his right-hand man, Ryan Cowden—wisely invested a premium pick on a young player with upside at a clear position of need. But the fact that the Patriots went three straight drafts without taking a tight end (2021-23) before spending a seventh-rounder on Jaheim Bell in 2024 shows some glaring roster mismanagement.

At this point, Henry and Raridon headline a group that also includes CJ Dippre, Tanner Arkin, Jack Westover, and Mitch Van Vooren.

In other words: New England needs reinforcements even after making Raridon a top-100 pick.

Currently, the free-agent market features notable names like former free-agent bust Jonnu Smith (Patriots fans don't need a reminder of how that experiment went the first time) and the seemingly ageless Zach Ertz.

Translation: The pickings are slim.

Perhaps the Patriots will look to swing a trade over the coming weeks to shore up their depth at tight end. Because even if Raridon earns a more prominent role than anyone anticipated back in May, he's still bound to run into the good ol' rookie wall at some point—especially given the physical nature of his position.

So, Eliot Wolf and Co. clearly have work to do before the Patriots open their season against the reigning Super Bowl champions.

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