Pro Football Focus is about as good as it gets in solid NFL analytics without going overboard. Occasionally, they may misstep, but mostly they're just superb. When they speak, the NFL world usually listens. The Patriot Nation should do the same if they talk about the Patriots.
On the draft, PFF just assigned the Patriots' draft an A grade. Many other commentators did the same. From an immediate post-draft perspective, they received an A grade. It was the Patriots' best maybe in decades. While this doesn't guarantee anything, you have the best opportunity to succeed when you draft consensus players at positions of need.
In their post-draft analysis, PFF talks about the biggest steals in their eyes on each day of the draft. One just happens to be a New England Patriot draftee. It's LSU's edge, Bradyn Swinson. Let's see what they said about Swinson and add a few thoughts. One thing's certain: if one of the Pats' picks winds up on a list like this, it's never bad.
PFF calls Bradyn Swinson an "outstanding value" for when the Patriots drafted him
Swinson was a Day 3 draft pick. In the fifth round, the Patriots landed the LSU star at pick No. 146. PFF, however, had him as their No. 47th-best player in the entire draft. That's where he appeared on their "big board," as they say.
Traditionally, the Patriots would draft players who appeared far lower on draft boards than an outfit like PFF would have them. Cole Strange and Tyquan Thornton, two 2022 draft busts, would seem to qualify. Getting the evaluation in reverse is where you want to be.
Here's what PFF had to say about Swinson, (they also have a chart outlining his progress from 2022 to 2024,
"The Patriots get outstanding value here, as Swinson ranked No. 47 on the PFF Big Board. On true pass sets, he posted a 91.4 pass-rush grade and an overall pass-rush win rate of 22.1%.
This is another clear indication if anyone had any doubt about the seismic shift in the Patriots' modus operandi under Mike Vrabel. Vrabel's overall draft, and what PFF's evaluation of the Swinson pick represents, is a total transformation in operational style from the former Belichick era and the dysfunctional 2024 mess to a whole new way of doing business.
Swinson brings a lot to the table for an ever-improving Patriots defensive line
Bradyn Swinson is a playmaker and a pass-rusher, an attribute sorely lacking in the 2024 Patriots. Having traded Matt Judon and then Joshua Uche (a player whose production largely depended on Judon), the Patriots lacked any edge pass rusher of note in 2024. Their best was Keion White, who was misemployed on the edge. He's a decent edge, but he's a Pro Bowl defensive tackle in waiting.
Swinson, at 6'4" and 255 pounds, is an excellent size for an edge in Vrabel's scheme. He has long arms and big hands. He also had great production for the Tigers in 2024, with 58 total stops, three passes defended, two forced fumbles, 13 tackles for loss, and a solid 8.5 sacks. The Patriots need sack men, and Swinson fits the bill.
He'll team up with Harold Landry III, K'Lavon Chaisson, and Christian Elliss in a totally revamped edge room. All are playmakers, and all bring that ultra-needed commodity - sacks. Expect more traditional linebackers like Jahlani Tavai and Anfernee Jennings to join the exodus of the former regime's players out the door. They don't fit Vrabel's defensive model.
The Patriots drafted Swinson, a player at a position of need, with proven production in the SEC, the best conference in the nation. Landing him 99 picks after PFF had him rated on their Big Board is a steal. Many draftees, whether drafted in Round One or seven, don't make the grade. But do the right thing and draft for value, as Vrabel did here, and your chances of succeeding are far better.