'Sense and Sensibility'. As an English Lit major, that wasn't my favorite book. In fact, the moment I knew the professor wasn't returning to that 400+ page monster, I sold it back to the bookstore for some beer money. But while the body of work didn't stick with me, the title did, and I can't help but think that's the Patriots' 2025 NFL Draft. There was logic to their selections from round one right until Mr. Irrelevant. Needs were addressed. But there was also a feeling behind the choices, a thread that connected one player to the next. This wasn't last year's hodgepodge or Bill Belichick consistently choosing players his scouts didn't recommend. There was a plan in place, and while there were many executors, that plan was driven by one man: Mike Vrabel.
"The most that we can sit there and talk about is that we're adding guys who love playing football, guys who are great teammates," said Vice President of Player Personnel Ryan Cowden, speaking for the first time since being hired months ago. "We all want talented players; we do. There's an idea here that can't be overstated enough that if you don't get the person right, then a lot of that other stuff can go by the wayside.
"I think we've been trying to be very intentional about the people, about some of the people, to build the foundation that Coach Vrabel and his vision have here for this football team. That started in free agency, and that's been a major emphasis for us as we've gotten into this draft process."
The Pats selected multiple team captains (Will Campbell, TreVeyon Henderson, Joshua Farmer) or players known across NFL front offices and the scouting community as excellent teammates and leaders (Kyle Williams, Jared Wilson, Craig Woodson, Kobee Minor). Even the kicker and long snapper were well-liked, although - to quote a famous radio host - 'Do that on your own time,' did come to mind (you know how I feel about specialists). I got at least a half-dozen texts from execs, scouts, and coaches from other teams applauding different picks the Pats made (Henderson, Williams, Wilson). The times, they are a changin'.
That said, I'm reminded of my exchange with Vrabel in the pre-draft press conference.
Q: The fact that you’ve put a premium on high-character guys in free agency, also good football players…
MV: I think that's the most important thing, but yes.
Q: Does that translate to the draft, or do you feel like because you brought in guys like Morgan Moses, maybe you can take a risk in the draft because you feel like your locker room’s strong?
MV: Well, we don't want to take risks. I mean, I think we want to be aggressive. I think there's a difference between taking risks and being aggressive and adding quality players and people to the roster. That'll happen throughout player acquisition. I think that's something that's important, but certainly, the talent of the player has to be evaluated first. Then, you go through a lot of different exercises and conversations and just try to figure out the type of person. You can't win, and you can't do what we want to do with just a bunch of good dudes. That's not going to get it done."
That's where 5th-round selection Bradyn Swinson comes in. Don't get it twisted. We're not talking about a player teams took off their boards because of off-field character concerns, but Swinson reportedly "butted heads" with coaches during his college career and earned a one-quarter suspension (vs. Florida) for being late for a "check-in."
They can't all be choir boys.
I asked Eliot Wolf how he approached the Swinson situation in the lead-up to the draft.
"Yeah, I think we talked to a lot of different sources at these colleges," he told me. "We talk to the player, we interview the player. When there's a situation like that, if it is a red flag, it's something that we'll bring up and try to see how they answer those things.
"With Bradyn, I had the opportunity, as everyone knows, when I went to practice at LSU this year, as we mentioned with Will Campbell. Bradyn was really impressive in practice. He was really getting after it, and that was a good thing because there were some of those questions, perhaps, about him. I left out of there feeling really comfortable with him."
This is where Vrabel and the staff he put together must succeed. Managing egos and outsized personalities will be a critical aspect of this rebuild. The Pats will have to take more chances. They did that last year, but it was a mistake you could see early on. A rookie head coach, a staff barely tied together — if they were tied at all — and a locker room that could sense very early on that they were headed for a hellacious season.
Now? This staff has mostly been made in Vrabel's image. He has raised the "give-a-shit" meter (that was a great quote about Wilson from day two of the draft) to a place it hasn't been since probably 2021, and I might even consider debating that (a lot of the problems of the next few seasons were part of that playoff team). Will that translate into being a potential playoff team, as some (including Mr. Bedard) have wondered? I want to see how it all comes together in July and August before I would be so bold, but the winds are changing, and for the first time in a long time, what this organization is doing makes sense.
I'll be back later this week with more on the actual picks made after I reconvene with some of my sources league-wide.