It's all over, including the shouting for the 2024 season. From the Patriots' perspective, "good riddance." The good news is no team has won three straight Super Bowls, and that's fine here! The Patriots' season (except for drafting Drake Maye) was a dud from the beginning of the offseason to the final meaningless but ultra-costly "phony win" over the Buffalo Bills.
Thankfully for Patriot Nation, we're onto 2025 with the new, experienced Head Coach, Mike Vrabel, who's now built his coaching staff and will presumably (and hopefully) handle the whole show, including personnel. A reversion to last offseason's personnel team has disaster written all over it.
Free agency looms large early, but the draft looms even larger for huge swaths of Patriots fans, who hope against hope every April for a draft that makes sense. Here, we'll try to concoct one and present a quick four-rounder right after the Super Bowl.
Round 1, Pick No.4: the New England Patriots select Will Campbell, T, LSU
With perhaps their top choices, cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter and edge Abdul Carter, off the board, the Patriots have a tough choice at pick No. 4. They can trade down and out from the top players in the draft or pick one of the two consensus top six players.
They are LSU's offensive left tackle, Will Campbell, and Michigan's defensive tackle, Mason Graham. They take Campbell and fill one of their top needs overall. Campbell holds Pro Football Focus's coveted best-available in the draft at tackle distinction.
The Campbell pick is predicated on the Patriots not having landed a top NFL left tackle like Ronnie Stanley in free agency. Had they succeeded in landing one of the top LTs there, the pick could have been Graham. Both were plug-and-play-starters, and can't miss draft picks for the Patriots.
Here's what nfldraftbuzz.com has to say about the 6'6", 323-pound Tigers' tackle.
"After studying the film, moving Campbell inside would be a mistake. Despite the shorter arms, his exceptional technique and recovery ability demand a shot at tackle. Put on the Ole Miss tape - he repeatedly shut down wide-9 rushers with textbook kick-slides and precise hand placement. The tools are there for a decade-plus starter who can anchor an offensive line and earn multiple Pro Bowl nods. Mark it down: Campbell goes in the top 10 and becomes one of the NFL's premier offensive tackles."
Round 2, Pick No. 38: Patriots select Walter Nolen, DT, Mississippi
After passing on Mason Graham, the best defensive tackle in the draft, Mike Vrabel wastes no time addressing the position and takes Walter Nolen from Ole Miss with pick No. 38 in the second round. The Patriots needed to bolster the position, with Christian Barmore's status uncertain due to illness. Nolen, a new-age, penetrating D-tackle, is the choice.
bleacherreport.com notes this about the 6'3", 293-pound Rebel defensive tackle,
"The Ole Miss product can be a very effective bull rusher who collapses the pocket when rushing the passer. He needs to keep his pads down more consistently, but when he does, interior offensive linemen have a hard time anchoring against him.
"While Nolen has flashed a solid swim move, the second-best way he's able to put pressure on the quarterback is through line games and stunts. He's quick and aggressive as the penetrator, catching offensive linemen off guard and knocking them off balance, and his lateral movement skills allow him to be an effective looper.
"Overall, Nolen has all the tools to be a starter within his first two years in the NFL and has Pro Bowl/All-Pro potential down the line. Schematically, he's fairly versatile as someone who could line up as a 3-technique in even fronts or play as a 4i-technique in odd fronts."
Round 3, Pick No. 69: Patriots select Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio State
The Patriots had four overarching needs going into the 2025 off-season. They needed a No. 1 wide receiver (hopefully addressed in free agency), a top left tackle, two edge players, and help at defensive tackle. Vrabel has addressed two of those needs with his first two picks, and with his third, he gets a top edge, Jack Sawyer of Ohio State.
bleacherreport.com comments on Sawyer's profile,
"Jack Sawyer's game is rooted in strength and power at the point of attack. Against the run, he's strong, physical and takes on blocks with solid leverage to create stalemates at the line of scrimmage and set the edge against offensive tackles. That can also help him get extension and escape blocks to make plays as a run defender."
"As a pass-rusher, Sawyer has the strength to collapse the pocket against weaker tackles and has a decent cross-chop that he uses as a nice inside counter move. He also has a good motor to get coverage sacks and will get his hands up to bat passes at the line of scrimmage."
Sawyer rocked the football world in the college playoffs with a monster forced fumble and recovery, taking it 83 yards to the house. It ended Texas' dream of a national championship.
Sawyer may be reminiscent of another playmaking defensive end/edge named Mike Vrabel, who was also a difference-maker and ironically chosen in the same round (by Pittsburgh) from the same vaunted Ohio State program. Here's hoping history will repeat itself, and the Patriots select Sawyer in the third round.
Round 3, Pick No. 77: Patriots select Grey Zabel, T, North Dakota State
The Patriots need reinforcements all over the offensive line. They started the rebuild with left tackle Will Campbell, but more work needs to be done. To get more capital, they traded the third-round pick acquired from Atlanta, No. 77 in the Matt Judon trade, to Houston for the Texans' 89th pick in the third round and their 127th in the fourth.
They get to work with that 89th pick and select versatile offensive lineman, Grey Zabel from North Dakota State. thedraftnetwork.com cites his versatility,
"A mainstay starter since the end of the 2022 season, he has logged starts at every position on the line except center. In 2024, Zabel served as the full-time left tackle, showcasing a physical and promising skill set that projects most effectively to the interior, particularly at center. Despite limited experience at the position, Zabel’s tools and film have made him a highly sought-after prospect in what is shaping up to be a weaker class at center."
They may see Zabel as a center, but he can play anywhere on the offensive line and will immediately compete for the starting position at right tackle or anywhere else Vrabel feels he needs a boost. Zabel will enter camp as a better option than almost anyone who played on the O-line in 2024.
Round 4, Pick No. 104: Patriots select Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State
The distinct hope here is that Vrabel has landed a top wide receiver in free agency, especially one named Tee Higgins. If not another bona fide free agent NFL top receiver is a must. Also, adding a receiver in the draft is a must. Vrabel does just that by selecting Iowa State's, Jayden Higgins with the Patriots' own fourth-round pick, No. 104.
Higgins had a monster 2024 season with 83 catches for 1183 yards and nine touchdowns. He's a steal in the fourth round. bleacherreport.com comments on the 6'4", 217-pound Hawkeye receiver (please pay special attention to the operative word for successful receivers, "separation").
'"Jayden Higgins is a tall possession receiver with a skill set built for creating quick separation.
"Higgins is a leggy and long-limbed receiver with route salesmanship. He is good at pushing vertically using his entire frame; head down, arms pumping, and high knees to sell the vertical routes. This opens up inside, outside, and underneath route options..."
Round 4, Pick No. 127: Patriots select Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma State
Having added a second fourth-round pick, No. 127, in the earlier trade with Houston, the Patriots cash in and add another asset to their rebuilding offense. This time it's dynamic Oklahoma State running back, Ollie Gordon II.
The 6'2", 225-pound back had a solid 2024 season with 880 yards on the ground and 13 TDs. He also logged 29 receptions for 1797 yards and another score. thedraftnetwork.com cites his strengths,
"His unique blend of size and strength showcases a high-level prospect at the running back position. Works primarily in the hip pocket of the QB in shotgun or directly behind in pistol. His herculean production in 2023 showcased one of the nation’s premier ball-carriers."
The "production" they refer to in Gordon's 2023 season is his running for 1732 yards and 23 TDs! He also added 39 catches for 330 yards and another TD. For a touchdown-needy team, the bruising Cowboys' big back with a nose for the endzone will be a welcome addition, indeed.
That's a quick, four-round mock draft that lands six players, four on offense and plugs holes on both sides of the ball. Two offensive tackles, including the best in the draft, a wide receiver and a running back also on offense, and a top defensive tackle and playmaking edge, are all added. It's a solid A draft for Mike Vrabel and company.