Very good, good, and poor NFL teams are built every offseason. If you do a solid job and have a quarterback on hand, you can enter what former Patriots Head Coach Bill Parcells used to call "The Tournament", aka the playoffs. You're lost before a ball is even kicked if you don't.
In unique circumstances, e.g, when you have a Tom Brady on hand to bail you out from a poor off-season, you can still get to the playoffs or better. That level of quarterback transcends the normal dynamics of off-season team-building. Yet when you have a young or any solid QB, your offseason will determine your fate for the upcoming season.
In 2024, the offseason job without drafting Drake Maye was a season-crusher. Poor decision-making doomed that version of the once-mighty Patriots to NFL oblivion once again. This season, the entire dynamic was turned on its head by one action: the hiring of an experienced, successful NFL leader, Mike Vrabel, as head Coach. It made all the difference.
Mike Vrabel crafted a masterclass off-season, beginning with free agency
The transformation of the Patriots from top to bottom of the coaching staff and roster began immediately after Vrabel was hired. He brought in experienced NFL coaches and two top personnel men to help him in the virtually complete makeover of a last-place roster. Those moves set the foundation.
Vrabel then began to work his magic on personnel. He virtually reconstructed his defense by adding players who fit his upfield, attacking defensive scheme. These included Milton Williams, Robert Spillane, Jack Gibbens, Harold Landry III, K'Lavon Chaisson, and Carlton Davis III. He also allowed three defensive linemen who didn't fit to leave or be traded.
On offense, he signed three veteran offensive linemen, two of whom will likely start immediately, right tackle Morgan Moses and center Garrett Bradbury. Wes Schweitzer, an oft-injured guard, provides additional veteran presence if he can stay healthy. These moves bolstered an offensive line among the worst in the NFL in 2024. Many of those participants will not appear on the 2025 roster.
He also added two wide receivers who are upgrades. One if healthy is a massive upgrade, former multiple Pro-Bowler, Stefon Diggs. When fit, pencil him in as your No. 1 receiver. He also added a big-play veteran wide receiver, Mack Hollins. He's a player whose catch numbers may be limited, but they deliver first downs and touchdowns. He's a big-play guy, something the team sorely lacked. Vrabel aced free agency with an A-. The grade was only downgraded by failing to sign a left tackle.
Mike Vrabel's draft cemented an A total offseason grade
Vrabel was challenged to complete the offseason makeover with a top-notch draft. Last week, he executed just that. As a long-time observer of Patriots fumbling and bumbling in drafts (and off-seasons), Vrabel's first Patriots effort was a tour de force. He crushed it.
First, he immediately filled the second most important position on the field with his first Patriots pick, the fourth overall in the draft. While Ashton Jeanty was a favorite here, Vrabel stuck to his script and immediately added the best left tackle and the best offensive lineman in the draft, LSU's Will Campbell.
It was an A+ pick all day long. Then he added an attribute lacking on offense in the 2024 Patriots, explosiveness. He selected Ohio State's top runner, TreVeyon Henderson, in the second round. Think of Henderson as a bigger, faster, and maybe a tad less shifty back than the last Patriots game-breaker, back, Dion Lewis.
Then, he added another explosive weapon for Drake Maye: Washington State's Kyle Williams. He's a catch-the-ball-and-fly receiver not seen in these parts in years. He also added his future center in the third round, Jared Wilson from Georgia. He'll compete to start this season and, if not, almost certainly, be the starter next.
He then reached for safety, Craig Woodson, but rebounded immediately and drafted two more needed players, defensive tackle Joshua Farmer, and top edge Bradyn Swinson. He finished the draft with a needed kicker, a ho-hum long-snapper, and then added another left tackle in Marcus Bryant, a left tackle from Missouri. He concluded an A draft with a cornerback.
Vrabel crushed the two critical criteria of any successful draft. He drafted consensus players where they should be drafted (with one exception) and those players at positions of need. There are no guarantees in any NFL draft, but if you do what Vrabel did, you maximize your opportunities for success. He gets an A grade for the entire offseason.