The Patriots are roughly nine days from the 2025 NFL Draft, where the team holds the fourth-overall pick in the first round.

On Tuesday, head coach Mike Vrabel conducted a pre-draft press conference at Gillette Stadium. Over the next week or so, New England’s top decision-makers will run simulations to prepare themselves for any scenario that might present itself on draft night. For example, who would the Patriots pick if the first three picks are QB Cam Ward, WR/CB Travis Hunter, and pass-rusher Abdul Carter? Could they possibly trade down? Would they possibly trade up to target their preferred prospect?

All those scenarios will be fleshed out over the next nine days, with Vrabel telling reporters that conversations with other teams about possible trades haven’t picked up yet. With second-year QB Drake Maye as the franchise’s future, the only position the Patriots head coach ruled out in the first round was quarterback in Tuesday’s press conference.

“Where we’re drafting, there’s a handful of guys [to consider]. We’re not in the market for a quarterback. That ought to eliminate anybody that throws the football. But I do think there are certainly players we covet at every level,” Vrabel said. “You’re trying to find players that are obviously talented and we feel like are a great fit and can help our football team.

“[The goal] is to add as many quality players and quality people. You want to come out of it with some starters. You want to come out of it with some depth role player that can build the depth of the roster – the backup players, the situational players,” Vrabel continued.

As for how the Patriots will make personnel decisions in the draft, Vrabel stated that there has been “a great alignment” between the EVP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf, VP of Player Personnel Ryan Cowden, Vrabel, and the rest of the coaches, and scouts this offseason.

“We’re always trying to bridge that gap,” Vrabel said. “The longer that I do this, I always see that there’s players that the personnel side may really like and there’s players that the coaching staff may covet for different reasons. My job, and Eliot [Wolf]’s job, and Ryan [Cowden]’s job is to bridge that gap and then come up with the player that is best for our football team.”

Along with giving his big-picture thoughts, here are five takeaways from Vrabel’s pre-draft press conference roughly a week out from the 2025 NFL Draft.

1. Vrabel Discusses Evaluating Top Prospect Abdul Carter (Penn State)

Earlier this week, the Patriots reportedly hosted top pass-rusher Abdul Carter on a 30-visit in Foxboro, which Vrabel confirmed while declining to share specifics about the visit.

Although the Pats head coach didn’t go into detail about what was discussed on the visit, Vrabel acknowledged that Carter only took visits to a handful of teams. According to reports, Carter only agreed to private visits with the four teams at the top of the draft: Titans, Browns, Giants, and Patriots. In recent weeks, the media scuttlebutt around Carter is that some teams have football character concerns about the Penn State star, with reports citing that Carter isn’t necessarily the hardest worker or a natural leader. Along those same lines, there’s also uncertainty about where Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders will fall in the draft.

Between the rumors about Carter’s football character, which could be much ado about nothing, and Sanders potentially landing in the top three (possibly to the Giants), there’s a stronger possibility that Carter could fall to New England than some might have thought initially.

“The tape is dynamic. There’s a lot of great qualities of a disruptive pass rusher. Very slippery, loose, sudden player, and it was a fun tape to watch,” Vrabel said of Carter.

As the Patriots head coach said, Carter’s dynamic play speed, bend, and quickness are carrying traits that make him extremely difficult to block. If he’s available when they’re on the clock, one would think that New England would be thrilled about landing Carter at No. 4 overall.

2. Does the Pats HC See an Offensive Tackle Worthy of Taking No. 4 Overall?

The conventional wisdom is that the Patriots should pounce if either Carter or reigning Heisman winner Travis Hunter is on the board, but neither fills the biggest need on the roster.

New England’s biggest need heading into the draft is at left tackle. Last season, the Pats were 31st in pass-blocking win rate and 32nd in run-blocking win rate. In other words, they had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. The Patriots added veteran right tackle Morgan Moses and center Garrett Bradbury in free agency but still have a hole at left tackle. Although passing on Carter or Hunter seems unlikely, if the top two prospects in the draft are off the board, then the draft could level off to the point where need plays a role in the decision.

“We’d love for them to align, having a need and having the best player be there. That doesn’t always happen, and we certainly want to pick the best player as many times as we can,” Vrabel said. “Maybe you look at one position and we may have some returning starters, or there’s depth at that position, but to add premium players when available is something that you should probably always try to do.”

When asked about the tackle position, Vrabel said there are prospects in this year’s class that the Patriots view as starting-caliber left tackles.

“There’s some tackles that certainly will come in and start in the NFL. That’s really what you start to look for, right, is impact players when you start picking that high. What they’re going to do for you, what’s the position. You talk about premium positions. That’s where you weigh all the circumstances. Do I think there’s starters in this draft at left tackle? Yes, I do,” said Vrabel.

From this perspective, the Patriots most likely pick at No. 4 overall is LSU left tackle Will Campbell. One would think Campbell is in the group of starting tackles that Vrabel referenced.

3. Vrabel Shares His Philosophy on Drafting a Running Back in the First Round

Another interesting draft-related topic that pertains to the Patriots is whether the Patriots would consider taking a running back, specifically Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty.

Jeanty finished second in the Heisman voting after leading Boise State to the College Football Playoff last season. He has an impressive skill set that blends excellent contact balance, straight-line speed, and lateral agility to pile up big plays and yards after contact. Jeanty accumulated an absurd 1,970 yards after contact to lead the FBS in the 2024 season. According to most draft experts, the Boise State running back is considered the third-best prospect in this class.

“I think that’s individualized based on how good the player is. How talented and what impact that he’s going to make. His ability to play in all three downs, his ability to catch the football, his ability to create mismatches, and obviously then what the team covets,” Vrabel said of potentially drafting a running back in the first round.

Although there’s a strong case to be made that Jeanty fits the criteria Vrabel laid out, the analytical evidence suggests that even a great running back can’t overcome a shaky offensive line, while running backs generally don’t have as much value as premium positions such as quarterback, wide receiver, cornerback, pass-rusher, and offensive tackle.

New England has hinted at its desire to select a running back at some point, but it would seem unlikely that they’ll take Jeanty in the top 10.

4. Vrabel Discusses the Role of Analytics in the Patriots Scouting Process

Speaking of analytics, the Patriots head coach outlined the role that analytics play in the team’s scouting process, which includes injury analysis, athletic testing, and position-specific stats.

“You rely on analytics to help you ask questions about what you see on tape and not only ask questions, but get them answered. So, I think that it’s a quick, very good snapshot of – you talk about durability, you talk about height, weight, speed, measurables, time missed, does that correlate to potential time missed in our league and the durability? So, those are all things that they can give you,” Vrabel explained.

The Patriots head coach also explained how analytics can help the personnel department evaluate certain positions, using wide receivers as an example.

“Analytically, as it relates to the receivers and their drop percentage, their ability to gain yards after the catch, their contested catch, or how many separation yards, right? And then you go to the next position. So, every position has a different analytical number or value that we would kind of look at, and then you go back and you watch the tape, and when those things are highlighted, you certainly want to make sure that all those things are accounted for.”

Historically, the Patriots haven’t been an analytically-driven organization. Although the tape is still king, Vrabel has shared his openness to incorporating analytics into the team’s scouting process.

5. Vrabel Explains Why the Patriots Traded Second-Year QB Joe Milton

Earlier this month, the Patriots traded backup quarterback Joe Milton to the Cowboys to move up 46 picks in the draft from the seventh round (No. 217) to the fifth round (No. 171).

“We felt like [Milton]’s reps were going to be decreased as we worked through the offseason and we felt like, just like every other decision, we’re going to try to do what’s best for the team. That’s the decision that we all ultimately made and so excited to move forward with Drake [Maye] and Josh [Doubs],” Vrabel told reporters on Tuesday.