The New England Patriots entered the Mike Vrabel era in January with a roster that was in tatters. It was rated as one of, if not the worst, in the NFL in 2024. Vrabel had a massive undertaking on his hands to remake a shambolic 4-13 team into a good one.
Fortunately, owner Robert Kraft, after a half dozen years of bad decisions, finally got one right in hiring the uber-professional Vrabel. He stepped in and immediately upgraded both the coaching and the personnel evaluation sides of the team.
Vrabel crushed free agency, adding solid if not spectacular NFL-proven players to a roster that cried out for bona fide NFL talent and playmakers. In undrafted free agency, he also signed several solid players, one of whom, Efton Chism III, has been the feel-good story of the whole offseason. He looks to be a star in the making. And then there was the offensive line.
The new Head Coach knew he had arguably the worst in the NFL. He wasted no time in signing three stopgap veterans. One has since retired, but two may start. He also used his first round draft pick on the best tackle available, Will Campbell. He then drafted the best center in the draft, who can also play guard, Jared Wilson. Both will start. Lastly, in the seventh round, he drafted tackle Marcus Bryant.
Marcus Bryant has been a nice surprise in training camp
The thought was that Vrabel needed to add at least two left tackles in the offseason. After whiffing in free agency, it left the draft as the most likely place to do so. He didn't waste the opportunity. Campbell came first, but much later, he added a sneaky good left tackle in Bryant. He's done everything that could have been expected and more.
In a YouTube podcast, NBC Sports Boston's Tom Curran talked about Bryant, an under-the-radar addition to the Patriots' offensive line. Curran commented that Bryant had started at right tackle against Minnesota in the preseason game and noted his versatility. He said, "He started at right tackle today ... Will he be the starting right tackle? Probably Not. But he also worked at left tackle when Campbell went out...He has both side ability."
There was a lot of meat on the bone in those comments by one of Boston's top Patriots beat reporters and analysts. Bryant has certainly been a huge and welcome surprise in camp, but there are reasons why he may not have been quite as big a surprise as it may first have appeared.
Marcus Bryant is an SEC-tested left tackle
After transferring from SMU, Bryant moved to Missouri and the best competition in the nation in the SEC. That alone said a lot for his confidence. Draft observers will realize that his linemate, Armand Membou, was a very highly-rated tackle. In fact, Membou was drafted seventh overall by the Jets.
Interestingly, however, Missouri did not move Membou to left tackle, the most vital position on the offensive line for any team with a right-handed quarterback. Instead, Bryant stepped into that position and never looked back. That may mean nothing - or everything. Regardless, Bryant played left tackle in the SEC in 2024.
Since Vrabel needed depth at the tackle position, especially in light of Morgan Moses' age (34) and his injury last season, Bryant has been just what the doctor ordered for his offensive line. As Curran noted, he has not only started on the right side for Moses to allow the team to limit his snaps, but also has spelled Campbell on the left.
It's hard to fathom a seventh-round pick being any more valuable to a Patriots team that fielded no NFL-caliber tackles at all in 2024. Bryant was a great pick when Vrabel added this second left tackle to his team. It was a positive sign that the new Head Coach knew exactly what he needed.
It would have been hard even for Vrabel to fathom, however, just how valuable the huge, 6'7", 320-pound Bryant may be to his playoff aspirations in 2025. The big guys up front get injured. Moses is 34 and most vulnerable, but any O-lineman can get an ankle rolled or pick up an injury on any play. The good news is that Mike Vrabel drafted Marcus Bryant. And that was a very good draft pick, indeed.