The lingering effects of the 2024 draft class have haunted the Patriots going into this year's draft, even with a new head coach and mostly new staff in the front office. Eliot Wolf was determined to right the wrongs of last year by taking a different approach to how they navigated the process this year, which was reiterated by Mike Vrabel throughout the offseason.
They emphasized their desire to live by a new draft philosophy in New England: take the best player available. That's not something Bill Belichick traditionally went with when selecting players to join the Patriots team, so fans were excited to see it during a pivotal offseason.
It was even more exciting given their placement in the first round with the No. 4 overall pick, as the prospects available at the top of the draft would immediately impact the roster, especially if they were to go with the offense. Because helping Drake Maye is said to be the new regime's priority, looking at players like RB Ashton Jeanty and TE Tyler Warren looked like good fits.
Based on how the rumored draft order would go, with Travis Hunter being presumed off the table by No. 4, which was accurate, the Patriots' decision to go with the best player available made Jeanty and Warren far more likely to be the pick. However, the need for a left tackle seems to have forced Vrabel and Co. to abandon that new plan already, explaining why they chose Will Campbell instead.
The Patriots 'best player available' mindset seems to be scrapped in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft
Knowing they needed to prove they would improve upon an underwhelming draft class from last year, Wolf wanted to promise fans that their approach this year would be far different. That's likely why Vrabel also doubled down on the philosophy, but it didn't take long for them to walk back on their words.
Although there's a good argument to make that taking an immediate starting left tackle after how the offensive line looked during the 2024 season, it's also fair to say that taking Campbell is not living and dying by the best player available idea they've sold fans all offseason.
If that were the case, Campbell wouldn't even be in the conversation, and players like Jeanty or Warren would have heard their name called instead, both of whom would be great additions to the offense for Maye to work with.
It's possible that the Patriots feel more comfortable addressing one of the biggest issues with their offense by taking Campbell early and improving the rest of the offense throughout the remaining rounds of the draft, so feeling disappointed about their early approach might not be the most appropriate.
However, it feels like another lie fans were told after a rough five years of coaches and even Robert Kraft walking back their statements when they went against what they previously stated. Hopefully, this won't continue, and there is no reason to have prolonged concerns moving forward.