Mike Vrabel's version of the Patriots won't resemble the 2024 version much. In an unprecedentedly brilliant offseason, perhaps only rivaled by former Patriots coach and general manager Chuck Fairbanks in the 1970s, Vrabel has rebuilt a vapid roster into a playoff contender in a few months.
Vrabel's professional signings and drafting stand in stark contrast to the 2024 version that resulted in almost nothing on the roster save the Robert Kraft-inspired selection of Drake Maye with the third-overall pick.
Now, with Vrabel in charge, everything has changed, including his terrific drafting. No draft can be adequately evaluated until a couple of years down the road, when players either perform or don't. Yet, drafting consensus players at positions of need without reaching as Vrabel did, and your chances for success will be enhanced. One of Vrabel's picks that was the antithesis of reaching was Florida State's defensive tackle, Joshua Farmer. (Bradyn Swinson, LSU's edge was another.)
Mike Vrabel's selection of Joshua Farmer made perfect sense
Joshua Farmer was selected in the fourth round, despite the consensus being that he should have gone higher. For some reason, perhaps size considerations, he slipped, and Vrabel pounced. It was exactly what the new Head Coach and de facto general manager should have done. DT was a position of need, and Farmer was available later than he should have been. That's a value pick.
Karen Guregian of Masslive has offered this Patriots' "under-the-radar" rookie as a possible surprise in her 2025 predictions.
"I think fourth-round pick Joshua Farmer, who has a chip on his shoulder given he was selected much later than projected (second round), will send a message to all the teams that passed on him...Along with his added motivation, the Patriots need him to help solidify the front, especially against the run.The 6-foot-3, 295-pound defensive lineman from Florida State was one of the best interior defenders in the ACC.
He’s got long arms and huge hands (10 1/4 inches). Even though he dropped down the board, Vrabel et al thought enough of Farmer to trade back into the fourth round to nab him. He’s overcome hardship in his life - his father died when he was two, and mother when he was 11 - and has the type of drive to make things happen."
Guregian is on target with that prediction. Farmer is a playmaker, and if Vrabel's rebuilt defense is comprised of nothing else, it's playmakers. He'll fit right in with new additions like linebackers Robert Spillane and Jack Gibbens, cornerback Carlton Davis III, and his new linemate, Super Bowl hero and emerging superstar Milton Williams.
Joshua Farmer could be a steal for the Patriots
While Farmer is a bit undersized at 6'3" and 295 pounds, he fits Vrabel's attacking defense nicely. Vrabel is after DTs who can penetrate and disrupt the pocket, and Farmer can. In 2024, he logged a modest 32 total stops but had eight tackles for loss and four sacks. In 2023, he had five sacks, seven tackles for loss, two passes defended, and a forced fumble.
Farmer has a penchant for big plays, and he won't be alone on the interior of the Patriots' D-line in making them. In addition to Williams, he will join a hopefully fully healthy and ready-to-explode Christian Barmore, and if properly deployed in a gap and not as a stand-up edge, 2025's breakout defensive lineman, Keion White. The rotational opportunities at DT for Vrabel are exceptional.
This grouping has the potential to be positively fearsome and the best unit on the defense, if not the entire team. The pocket-collapsing potential is enormous, and that disruption creates opportunities for big plays for themselves and others on defense. Vrabel added to his existing two emerging stars, Barmore and White, brilliantly. Farmer will be a piece of one of the NFL's best interior defensive lines.