The Patriots made quite a splash in the early rounds of the 2025 NFL draft, prompting grades of A and A- by various analysts. There's no doubt that Mike Vrabel aced the 2025 draft. He drafted consensus players where they should have been drafted (maybe with one exception?) or lower, and drafted at positions the team needed most.
Vrabel's experience and astuteness in personnel evaluation has led to a memorable offseason for the Patriots that was very much needed after their recent fall into obscurity, which looked like it would take more than one year to get out of. But the 2021 NFL Coach of the Year has taken the reins of the New England Patriots' franchise and driven home a Kentucky Derby-like winner in his first offseason.
Final draft evaluations take a couple of years, but by drafting prudently, you enhance your chances of success and mitigate some of the fallout if those players flop. But what about the later rounds where little is expected? Tom Brady was found in the sixth round, and in 2025, the Pats may have uncovered a sleeper who could surprise in the seventh. Let's take a look at this player.
Patriots' seventh round pick, Marcus Bryant may surprise
What's to like about an unheralded seventh-round pick in an NFL draft where you've already hit a grand slam home run? Well, maybe a lot. The player in question is an offensive lineman, not the glitziest of positions, but without them, as Patriot Nation has seen the past two seasons, "you ain't goin' nowhere"! And to make it even more interesting, he's a left tackle, maybe a special one.
The Patriots drafted Will Campbell to start at left tackle. The starting position is done and dusted, as they say across the pond. But who's the backup and who plays if Will gets dinged up? Without a left tackle, you have no offense, and you'd better have more than one.
In 2024, when the personnel administration had none, bought none into the building in the offseason, and tried to transform two career right tackles into lefts, the results were predictable: 4-13. Mike Vrabel knows better, and since he's running the 2025 show, he did something about it by drafting alpha dog, Campbell, and the massive Marcus Bryant, both of whom play the position.
Bryant, like Campbell, is an experienced left tackle with all the requisite attributes. He's 6'7", and 320 pounds. He has great arm length at 34 5/8s" and a wingspan of 83 1/8. To make things even more interesting, he played left tackle at Missouri, protecting the quarterback's blindside, while the much more heralded first-round pick, Armand Membou, played on the right. Make of that what you will.
Why Marcus Bryant was a terrific 7th-round pick for the Patriots
One might say Bryant relegated Membou to the right side. Whatever the reason, he manned the top offensive line position and played on an island protecting his quarterback. Having an experienced left tackle to compete to back up Campbell, and/or maybe even start on the right when Morgan Moses moves on, was a terrific value seventh-round pick by Vrabel.
While Campbell will start immediately, having a big, experienced left tackle in reserve is frosting on the cake, as they say. Offensive linemen get dinged up battling in the trenches play after play. You need redundancy in all your positions, and on the offensive line, especially at left tackle and center.
How astute is Vrabel? He not only drafted the best tackle in the draft in LSU's Campbell from the SEC, the best football conference in the nation, but he also added another SEC starting left tackle in Mizzou's Bryant. Those moves epitomize the perspicacity of a seasoned NFL veteran coach and personnel evaluator. He had a position of immense need and added two SEC starters to fill it.
What a difference a year makes. In 2024, the Patriots botched the offseason completely, except for their no-brainer drafting of Drake Maye. Conversely, Vrabel has aced 2025's offseason. While there are no guarantees with any acquisitions, when you add free agents with solid NFL track records and draft top players at their positions, you have the best chance of success at your positions of need.