Mike Vrabel was determined to upgrade his roster across the board. He did a terrific job in the offseason to do just that. To support his precocious young quarterback, Drake Maye, he rebuilt a porous offensive line, adding a combination of veterans and top rookies to plug the sieve-like holes.
They included drafting his left tackle, Will Campbell, with the fourth overall pick and center/guard, Jared Wilson, in the third round. In addition, he added two solid veteran receivers and drafted a rookie in the third round who'll provide a dimension missing for years on the Pats' offense: explosiveness. Adding more of that asset, he drafted maybe the most explosive running back in the draft in the second round, as well. All four top picks went to the offense.
In the fourth round, he finally drafted a defensive player, bringing in a solid defensive tackle to bolster the depth there. Then in the fifth round, he drafted a top sack producer from LSU in Bradyn Swinson. Swinson has flown under the radar a bit since Vrabel drafted five players before him. But his potential is unmistakable nonetheless.
Bradyn Swinson could be a sleeper and a big contributor on defense
Patriots fans and analysts have singled Swinson out as a possible "staple" on defense this season for Mike Vrabel and Defensive Coordinator Terrell Williams.
Rookie DE Bradyn Swinson could definitely become a staple of the #Patriots pass rush this season 🔥
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) July 12, 2025
(🎥 sw1ntt IG) pic.twitter.com/jE0KUGQMYD
Lopez makes a great point. Though a fifth-round pick, Swinson comes to the Pats with loads of potential after playing at LSU in the SEC for his last two collegiate seasons, after three at Oregon. In 2024, Swinson finally showed his mettle and had a breakout season.
Bradyn Swinson made big plays in 2024 for the LSU Tigers
Mike Vrabel, if he did nothing else in his brilliant 2025 offseason, made a point of signing and drafting playmakers. He loaded up on playmaking offensive weapons for Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels and Drake Maye, and he did the same on defense for Terrell Williams.
On defense, he added Super Bowl hero, defensive tackle Milton Williams, who flashed in the Big Game upfront. At the edge, he added the team's top sack man, Harold Landry III, and emerging sack artist, young K'Lavon Chaisson. And in the secondary, he signed free-agent lockdown cornerback Carlton Davis III.
Vrabel also astutely re-signed Christian Elliss, who'll be a breakout player in 2025 (if his solid 2024 wasn't already), and two sideline-to-sideline linebackers, tackling machine Robert Spillane, and Jack Gibbens. Both played for Vrabel in Tennessee.
Yet, the edge is still a position where depth is needed, and that's where Swinson fits in. Former third-round pick Anfernee Jennings has underwhelmed in his four seasons with the Patriots in Foxborough. The 6'5", 269-pound Swinson will likely supplant him as a backup, and maybe even upstage Chaisson to partner with Landry.
In the uber-competitive NFL training ground, the SEC, Swinson racked up 58 total stops, 8.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, three passes defended, and two forced fumbles in 13 games in 2024. That's a playmaker who'll fit like a glove into Vrabel's new attacking defense.
Carlos Lopez has ID'd a super sleeper possibility in Bradyn Swinson. Don't be shocked if the huge former LSU Tiger awakens in summer camp, impresses Vrabel and Defensive Coordinator Terrell Williams, makes the team, and contributes immediately. That's exactly what former SEC performers like Swinson do.