The Patriots’ 2025 season will begin a new era for the second consecutive year. Jerod Mayo, Bill Belichick’s initial successor, lasted just one year on the job before getting terminated. The organization subsequently turned to Mike Vrabel, who returns to coaching from a semi-hiatus following his firing from the Tennessee Titans.

Since accepting the job, Vrabel has already begun the transitional process. The Patriots signed several of his former players in free agency, including linebackers Harold Landry III and Jack Gibbens. Stefon Diggs, Robert Spillane, Carlton Davis III and Joshua Dobbs also joined the team in the offseason, adding to the preseason hype.

However, even with their successful free agency period, the Patriots are still embracing a youth movement with Drake Maye at the helm.

New England left the 2025 NFL Draft with a league-high 11 picks and continued the momentum with nearly two dozen undrafted rookies. The team has a lot of reconstruction ahead of it to get to the 52-man roster requirement, but several overlooked prospects are bound to have their moments.

WR Efton Chism III

Few five-year FCS products ever make waves during the NFL Draft, but Efton Chism III is a player Patriots fans are already excited about. Despite being viewed as a potential sixth or seventh-round prospect, Chism went undrafted, but did not have to wait long before signing an offseason deal with New England. With many comparing his frame and skill set to former Patriots stars Wes Welker and Julian Edelman, there could not have been many better landing spots for the Eastern Washington alum.

It took Chism a few years to find his rhythm at Eastern Washington, which is a large part of why he failed to make most teams’ draft boards. However, once he did, Chism grabbed the Big Sky Conference by the throat, racking up 1,311 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns in 2024. Once the ball was in his hands, his speed and agility were almost unfair for FCS-level defenders to keep up with.

Given the stigma surrounding FCS players, Chism did not enter the Patriots’ 2025 offseason with much steam behind him.

It did not take long to change that narrative, as he quickly became one of the most discussed players at New England’s rookie minicamp, before maintaining that momentum in OTAs. Most of Chism’s work has come with Dobbs, but Vrabel has already experimented with him working with the starters in 11-on-11 sets.

As good as he has been so far, there is still a lot left for Chism to even make the Patriots’ final roster. He is still only 5-foot-11, and many similar players before him made waves on social media only to get cut late in the process. But if his early signs are any indication, Chism is well on his way to making the team and potentially carving out a role on special teams and as a depth receiver.

CB Kobee Minor

When the Patriots took Kobee Minor with the 257th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, he was not happy to receive the annual “Mr. Irrelevant” label. Yet, the cornerback has been open about how much he takes the undesired label personally and hopes to use that as motivation moving forward. So far, he has stuck true to that sentiment.

A physical cornerback who excels near the line of scrimmage, Minor is a prototypical high-risk, high-reward player. He lacks the speed to keep up with NFL receivers in coverage, but his physicality and aggressiveness allow him to potentially make an impact against the run. His limitations make him more of a nickelback than outside cornerback, but that happens to fit a gaping need the Patriots have.