Mike Vrabel has undertaken a massive reconstruction of the Patriots roster for 2025. Lots of players were added in free agency, and now he's brought in 11 in the draft and 19 more in undrafted free agency. Change is afoot, and few players are immune to competition if they make it to summer camp.
Vrabel has already cut ties with several veterans who were either overpaid, underperforming, or both. More are likely to see the door before this squad takes the field in its final form this fall in meaningful games. Expect it.
Here, we'll explore several 2024 draftees who may be on the roster bubble, regardless of how high they were drafted. Eliot Wolf, Executive Vice President of Player Personnel, drafted these players. now, Vrabel is in charge, and he'll keep or broom those who'll give him the best chance to win.
4 recent draft picks fighting for a spot on the Patriots' 2025 roster
WR Ja'Lynn Polk
Wolf drafted wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk with his 2024 second-round draft pick. While he needed a left tackle more, Wolf at least got the position right. The Patriots' wide receiver room was a wreck and needed bolstering. Polk was fairly well-regarded, but unfortunately, he did nothing in 2024 to justify that lofty draft status.
A second-round pick entering an awful positional room should start, or at a minimum, be a solid contributor. Polk was neither. Notching a mere 12 catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns would have been a paltry return for an undrafted free agent. Polk is on the bubble and may not make the 2025 roster.
WR Javon Baker
There were high expectations for fourth-round pick, wide receiver Javon Baker. Roster spots were there for the taking, and Baker had every chance to take one and run with it. He made the team, but simply put, he did almost nothing. Comparatively, his lack of production made Polk's poor season look wondrous.
Baker had one catch for 12 yards and a TD. While that TD-to-catch ratio is excellent, a single catch in a season for a fourth-round pick is less than optimum, to say the least. Over the years, he was another in a long line of wide receiver draft flops by the Pats. It will be surprising if Baker makes the team.
G Layden Robinson
Guard Layden Robinson was a fourth-round pick in 2024. Like any pick other than Drake Maye, he did little to justify his selection, never mind with a sub-premium pick. Robinson played in 13 games and started 11. At least he was on the field, but he didn't do anything positive.
Pro Football Focus's (PFF) pass blocking grade for Robinson was the 106th lowest among 136 rated. His overall grade was even worse, 129th out of 136th. A street free agent could have played that poorly. Robinson is on the bubble. If free agent guard Was Schweitzer is healthy and rookie Jared Wilson can transition from center back to guard, Robinson may be on the outside looking in.
OT Caedan Wallace
Right tackle Caedan Wallace was a 2024 Patriots third-round pick. Eliot Wolf floated the ill-advised concept that Wallace and fellow right tackle, free agent Chuks Okorafor, could transition to the left. This ill-advised gambit tanked the 2024 season before it began. Okorafor only lasted two games on the team, and Wallace couldn't even play on the right side. No left tackle, no offense. Simple as that.
Like Robinson, Wallace's PFF grades were fails. He ranked 101st out of 141 tackles in pass-blocking (much to Drake Maye's chagrin). His overall grade was even worse, 130th out of 140. He added little and flopped, like most of the post-Maye, 2024 draft. He'll have to fight to make the 2025 roster.
Those are four recent higher draft picks, all from the dreadful (except for Drake-Maye) 2024 draft, who underperformed to put it mildly in their rookie seasons. None may last under Mike Vrabel's new regime. They won't be alone if they're shown the door. A bunch have already been given their walking players, and more will almost certainly follow.