There were a lot of holes on the Patriots roster that the new regime needed to address this offseason, many of which were not in free agency despite their league-high cap space. That left a lot on the table for Mike Vrabel and Co. to fix in the 2025 NFL Draft, and early impressions believe they accomplished what they needed to from top to bottom, even special teams.
After prioritizing the offense, Vrabel and Eliot Wolf moved to the defense, double-dipping at pass rusher and even snagging a safety. That eventually led them to shock everyone by drafting a kicker in the sixth round and a long snapper in the seventh, neither of which received the most exciting response from analysts or fans despite the need at both.
The silver lining of what some have deemed to be questionable decisions was that the Patriots managed to get the best prospects at each position, something they may not have been able to do had they waited to sign them as undrafted free agents. That was clear when the Ravens selected a kicker not long after, making the Patriots' decision look even better.
But a week later, it's still not sitting right with some analysts, with one sharing his harsh critique of Vrabel and Co. for essentially wasting draft capital on positions that didn't need to be dealt with as much as others.
Patriots get absolutely mauled for their decision to draft a kicker and long snapper
While it was expected that there would be some pushback surrounding the selections given their positions, the intense reaction from Travis Thomas of NESN is something else.
Not only did he immediately groan over the Patriots taking the best kicker of the class in Andres Borregales because he feels they should've had a tryout for the role instead, but he took it even further by bashing the team for also drafting a long snapper for the same reason.
“Here we go again, like a JV team, I would set up a try-out for kickers. You know who else would be on that sign-up sheet? Long snappers. Come on down. If you’re a long snapper, and a kicker and a punter, you can try out for the Patriots. I’m not wasting a draft pick on this guy. There are other areas on this roster that need to be addressed. What in the bleepedy bleep are you doing taking a kicker and a long snapper for?”
To an extent, he makes a point about the picks potentially being used better had they taken another offensive or defensive player instead. But that argument would have more merit had they not already addressed nearly every hole on the roster already, waiting until the late rounds to move to special teams.
It's not often that a team finds a starting caliber player in the sixth or seventh round, either, so criticizing Vrabel and Wolf for using those picks on players they needed, which we saw even more with Joe Cardona's release, seems unwarranted.
There's no guarantee they would have succeeded with a tryout or gotten the same players they wanted had they gone undrafted. This ensured they got those they felt were the best fit and the most talented in the class, hitting two more needy positions even if they aren't at the top of the list.