The New England Patriots hold 12 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, and it will be a pivotal time for the team to ascend. If New England can stack an excellent draft with their young core of playmakers, they'll be in a position to compete for the next half-decade.
Mike Vrabel has never operated as a GM, but he no doubt has a hand in draft selections as a head coach. This past offseason with New England was his seventh draft as a head coach, and with that type of sample size, interesting trends begin to form, and are at times broken.
New England selected Miami kicker Andy Borregales and Vanderbilt long snapper Julian Ashby on Day 3 of this past draft, the first time Vrabel was the head coach for a team that drafted a specialist. The 11 picks New England made were the most ever made with Vrabel at the helm, and 2026 would be a record-setting number of selections should they make all 12.
While the Patriots may deviate from Vrabel's trends, they could reveal New England's potential 2026 draft strategy.
Breaking down who the Patriots might select in the first round based on Mike Vrabel's drafting history
No hesitancy to draft quarterbacks
During four of Vrabel's six years in Tennessee, a quarterback was selected. Washington State's Luke Falk was selected in 2018 in the sixth round, and Hawaii's Cole McDonald was a 7th rounder in 2020. Malik Willis was selected in 2022, and Will Levis was drafted in 2023.
Having Drake Maye negates any need for a starter, and Josh Dobbs is under contract for 2026, but taking a flier on a quarterback with athletic upside in the late rounds could be something the team considers. Except for Falk, all quarterbacks selected were ranked in the top five in their class at the position in Next Gen Stats' athletic score.
Baylor's Sawyer Robertson, Tulane's Jake Retzlaff, and South Florida's Byrum Brown could be names to keep an eye out for as players who could fit that profile.
Spotlight on the SEC
Across Vrabel's 14 picks in the first two rounds, nine have been players from the SEC, and five of the seven first-round picks have been from the conference. Vrabel has selected 18 from SEC schools out of 50 total players drafted.
Considering half of those players came in the first two rounds, don't expect the staff to hesitate to put stock in a school's name value. Just this past year, New England selected five players from the SEC and rostered a sixth undrafted rookie from the conference.
Building through the trenches
In seven drafts, Vrabel's team has selected seven offensive linemen in the first three rounds. His first season in Tennessee is the only year that deviates from the trend, and in 2025, the Patriots selected two linemen in the first 95 picks. Considering Vrabel has selected just nine linemen, there's little doubt he prioritizes quality over quantity. Eight of the nine played tackle in college.
All five linemen are under contract next season in New England, but Morgan Moses will be 36 during the offseason. Adding a linemen in the first three rounds is to be expected, and based on trends, a tackle seems most likely. I've mentioned Austin Siereveld, Caleb Tiernan, and Gennings Dunker as potential selections.
Selecting receivers is a new trend
Vrabel's teams have selected six receivers in his last four drafts, most recently Kyle Williams. Four of the six were 6-foot-2 or taller, and none were shorter than 5-foot-11. Two were top 100 picks. Of the seven receivers selected by Vrabel's teams all-time, the only player to amass more than 900 career yards is A.J. Brown.
All of New England's receivers are under contract next season, so continuing this trend seems foolish, especially considering the low quality of draft capital invested into the position by Vrabel's teams over the past few years. Taking a swing at Brown via a trade would be a superior move.
Tendency to make boom-or-bust selections
Vrabel's first draft in Tennessee was relatively safe: linebacker Rashaan Evans was a productive player during his time with the Titans and has a very high floor, despite his average athleticism limiting his ceiling. This set a strong base for a new coaching staff, but Vrabel quickly moved to taking big swings in the first round.
Jeffery Simmons was barred from the NFL Combine after a domestic abuse incident, but was widely considered a top-five talent.
While Simmons ended up being an excellent pick, these boom-or-bust picks don't always work out. Legal issues were a concern with Georgia tackle Isaiah Wilson before he was selected 29th overall, and he would play just four career snaps due to a host of issues.
Caleb Farley was a spectacular athlete and revered as a top-ten talent, but his torn ACL and back issues made him an exceedingly risky selection. He's played just 12 games in three seasons with the Titans.
Now that New England has a strong young base and an elite young quarterback, making a boom or bust move early in the draft could be a gamble worth making. Tennessee's Jermod McCoy has doubters after he missed the 2025 season with a torn ACL. Nyck Harbor is a DK Metcalf-esque prospect, but his mediocre collegiate production (like Metcalf's) is a source of concern.
All in all, these trends may not reflect New England's decisions in the 2026 draft, but they do provide insight into what Vrabel's squad's decision-making has looked like over his seven seasons as a head coach.