Mike Vrabel's New England Patriots are embarking on the critical offseason when good and great teams are molded. After a forgettable 2024 offseason, it's Vrabel's challenge to get the rebuild on track. He also has to keep in mind that rebuilds are for this season alone. There is no other season in the NFL.
The head Coach and majordomo have many options when trying to reconstruct a team that is bereft of talent. Multiple positions need to be fortified, and the strategy and sequence adopted to fill in those blanks are critical.
The Patriots' insider par excellence, Mike Reiss of ESPN, has outlined one major strategic direction. Reiss and others have opined lately that the lessons of the Eagles' victory over the Chiefs are strong ones for the Patriots to consider. We'll explore Reiss's theory (see below), suggest if he's right, and postulate how Vrabel might implement it.
Patriots insider Mike Reiss says "build from the inside out"
Reiss theorizes that the offensive and defensive lines are key in building a team. There is no argument whatsoever about that here. NFL lines must be fortified on both sides of the ball to succeed. If not, you can have all the skill players you want, and you'll still lose.
You have to have a top offensive line. It's been hypothesized that a top O-line, above all other units on the team, is paramount to have in place. Of course, without a quarterback, it still won't give you a title-winner. You need both. Fortunately, the Patriots have a potential Super Bowl-winning one in Drake Maye.
Vrabel's task of rebuilding almost an entire O-line isn't an easy one. Aside from David Andrews, if he's back healthy for 2025, he has no NFL-ready offensive lineman on the roster other than Mike Onwenu, assuming he's not traded and in shape. He needs at least four additions. Two starting tackles are a must. He has none.
At guard, the Patriots wasted numerous high and higher draft picks on guards who can't play. Don't. Guards are commodities and should be late-round picks. Examples are two sixth-round picks, the previously mentioned Onwenu and the super-versatile Ted Karras, who was ill-advisedly jettisoned twice by Bill Belichick.
The best play at tackle is to sign a top left tackle in free agency, and if so, then draft another couple later in the top four rounds. If not, you'll need to use your first-round pick on a left tackle like LSU's Will Campbell or draft another two with high picks later. Now, onto the defensive line.
The Patriots need several top additions on the defensive line
Mike Reiss' suggestion also applies to the defensive side of the ball. At D-tackle, the Pats have Christian Barmore, a top player. His status is uncertain at present due to a recurring health situation. Davon Godchaux will be around, but the future is with smaller DT penetrators. If Vrabel deftly moves Keion White inside in a gap, he'll have him and, hopefully, Barmore to deploy. It's a good start.
The imperative is to add another one or two in free agency or the draft. If Vrabel can sign that starting left tackle in free agency, one possible move is to draft the best DT in the draft, if he's still available. That's Michigan's Mason Graham. Graham is a monster penetrating D-tackle who starts immediately. Paired with Barmore and White, Graham will present a formidable trio upfront on D.
The other major necessity is to add at least two and probably three edge players, either in free agency or the draft. Hypothetically, if Barmore is fit to play alongside White and Vrabel has landed that top left tackle in free agency, he can take the best edge player in the draft, Penn State's, Abdul Carter, but that means passing on Graham.
Mike Vrabel will have some tough resource-allocation decisions for free agency and the draft. If the best player overall in the draft, Travis Hunter, is available at pick No. 4, he probably should forego Reiss's advice altogether with his first pick. Whatever. Hunter is just too valuable to pass up.
Absent that, he can't go wrong with any of the other top four can't miss players in the draft, at least one, if not more, of whom will be there at pick No. Four overall. Generally, Coach Vrabel should follow Mike Reiss' advice and build from the inside out. It's the optimum way to win fast.