Patriots 2025-26 Offseason Discussion

[SparzWizard]

I legit forgot the Draft is tomorrow

I can't wait to draft Will Campbell/Jalon Walker/Abdul Carter/Travis Hunter/Tyler Warren! 

Sports center/analyst jobs will be jam packed with four major sports on TV. Gonna be an interesting draft night

[Vermont Green]

I legit forgot the Draft is tomorrow

I can't wait to draft Will Campbell/Jalon Walker/Abdul Carter/Travis Hunter/Tyler Warren! 

Sports center/analyst jobs will be jam packed with four major sports on TV. Gonna be an interesting draft night

Yes, but for us Boston fans, the Sox have an afternoon game, the Celtics played yesterday, and the Bruins are long gone.  The Patriots draft pick is the feature attraction today for Boston fans.

To hear the experts, the first 4 picks are a lock, Ward, Hunter, Carter, Campbell.  We'll see.  I am still hopeful that something shakes this up.

[Redz]

crickets lol

[Vermont Green]

Honestly, I was watching on my couch, somewhere between pick 2 and 3, I nodded off and didn't wake up until the Jeanty pick at 6.  I didn't miss much.

As to the draft for the Patriots, Campbell is fine.  I would have preferred Jeanty but I have no real scouting knowledge of any of these players.  Jeanty seems to have a higher up side and appears to be much better than any RB you could get with the next couple of picks.  Campbell may be the best tackle (he is actually a RT, not a LT) but I am not sure he is all that much better than a tackle you could get with the next pick.  That is how I break it down anyway.

That said, there is probably a good chance that Campbell will turn out to be a solid pick.  Not a home run, but maybe a double or even a triple.  The hope is that he is the day 1 starter at LT I guess, not sure how likely that is.  Cole Strange was able to start day 1, maybe Campbell will too.

[A Future of Stevens]

If Campbell had arms that were literally 1/2 an inch longer, he'd be the best LT prospect most years (Not Alt level, but the tier right below that.)
EVERYTHING else screams franchise LT. It seems like a good bet to bet on Campbell the person. He's the day 1 starter, for better or worse.

For the 2nd round, a few great prospects seem to still be on the board. I'm hoping for Burden III, but Will Johnson, Emmanwori, Mike Green, BC edge or a few others would be great value at 38. Heck, Higgins would be legit at that spot.

Interesting would be Henderson from Ohio. Crazy electric running/passing threat? Sign me up

[Csfan1984]

Disappointed in the Campbell pick. They should double down and get another LT prospect that way if Campbell needs to play LG they can do that. Either way regardless Pats probably need to keep a TE or RB on that side to chip assist on blocks for a rookie LT.

[celts55]

I?m still mad they won that last game and blew the number 1 pick. Hard to get overly excited about an O lineman, but it?s something they really needed.
I am a bit confused about the arm length thing. Apparently his is 32 5/8 and the average is 33 inches. Does less than 1/2 an inch really matter that much?

[Roy H.]

I?m still mad they won that last game and blew the number 1 pick. Hard to get overly excited about an O lineman, but it?s something they really needed.
I am a bit confused about the arm length thing. Apparently his is 32 5/8 and the average is 33 inches. Does less than 1/2 an inch really matter that much?

From what I've read, analytics shows that 33" is really the *minimum* arm length for most successful tackles.  Tackles with shorter arms than 33" tend to struggle and/or get shifted inside.

I've had the same question as you.  To me, I would think that performance on the field against elite college competition says more than anything else.  The Pats obviously agree.

[A Future of Stevens]

I?m still mad they won that last game and blew the number 1 pick. Hard to get overly excited about an O lineman, but it?s something they really needed.
I am a bit confused about the arm length thing. Apparently his is 32 5/8 and the average is 33 inches. Does less than 1/2 an inch really matter that much?

From what I've read, analytics shows that 33" is really the *minimum* arm length for most successful tackles.  Tackles with shorter arms than 33" tend to struggle and/or get shifted inside.

I've had the same question as you.  To me, I would think that performance on the field against elite college competition says more than anything else.  The Pats obviously agree.

I will say, there was a whole draft controversy this year about EVERYONE coming in about 1/2 inch shorter than historic and pro day measurements.

Campbell is a dog, is incredibly technically sound, and came in top 20 out of 1300+ RAS scores (he's incredibly athletic for a tackle.) I'm all in on the guy. The worst case scenario, is the arms are that big of a problem, and he is an all pro guard for a decade.

[BitterJim]

I?m still mad they won that last game and blew the number 1 pick. Hard to get overly excited about an O lineman, but it?s something they really needed.
I am a bit confused about the arm length thing. Apparently his is 32 5/8 and the average is 33 inches. Does less than 1/2 an inch really matter that much?

From what I've read, analytics shows that 33" is really the *minimum* arm length for most successful tackles.  Tackles with shorter arms than 33" tend to struggle and/or get shifted inside.

I've had the same question as you.  To me, I would think that performance on the field against elite college competition says more than anything else.  The Pats obviously agree.

I will say, there was a whole draft controversy this year about EVERYONE coming in about 1/2 inch shorter than historic and pro day measurements.

Campbell is a dog, is incredibly technically sound, and came in top 20 out of 1300+ RAS scores (he's incredibly athletic for a tackle.) I'm all in on the guy. The worst case scenario, is the arms are that big of a problem, and he is an all pro guard for a decade.

No, the worst case scenario isn't him being a stud at a position he's never played. It's being a bad tackle AND unable to figure out how to play guard at a high level. Playing guard isn't just an easier version of playing tackle.

At the end of the day, you have to just trust Vrabel on this one. Bringing a bunch of young guys into the offense around Maye seems like a great way to use our draft picks

Edit: Also, I'd be curious to see how previous draft's players measured up for arm length if they went to this year's combine. If they really were measuring people short then that's a big miss by the NFL, consistency (year-to-year and player-to-player) is more important then accuracy for something like that. The number itself means nothing, it's all about how it compares to other picks/prospects

[Vermont Green]

Draft Recap:

I was kind of hoping for Jeanty at #4 but really, Campbell is probably a good pick. Certainly not a bad pick.  In this draft, anyone at 4, after Hunter and Carter got taken top 3, was going to be a reach to some degree.  I have no idea how he will do in the NFL with his short arms, but I will assume he will be at least a little better rookie than Cole Strange was.  Strange started every game as a rookie and was solid.

Campbell
Strange
Bradbury
Onwenu
Moses

Decent OL with depth at every position.  Still some question marks (Strange, Campbell) but should be much improved over last season.

At #38, I don't know a lot about TreVeyon Henderson, RB.  His projection is a starter.  I read it is a good screen guy.  4.43 in the 40 at the combine looks great.  He is no Ashton Jeanty but looks like he will be a useful weapon for the offense.  We could have had Jeanty and say Ersery (LT taken at 48) instead of Henderson and Campbell, as our RB-LT combo but who knows.

At #69, we take Kyle Williams WR, what appears to me to be another WR project.  Diggs, Bourne, Douglas, and Hollins seem like locks.  That means Boutte, Polk, Baker, and now Williams are going to fight for probably 2 remaining spots.  Kyle Williams may not be any better than Boutte, at least in his rookie year.  Just seems a little redundant.

At #95, Jared Williams, a huge, highly athletic but raw Center (or possibly Guard) who projects as a starter per CBS Sports.  I know nothing about him but beyond what I just read, but I like it.  He can slot as a back up and we can see what he's got.

[Vermont Green]

Our Draft to date (top 100) is all offense.  I think all the offensive holes have been filled via draft, trade, and FA.  LT-check.  Diva WR-Check.  OL Depth-Check.  WR Depth-Check.

Now we have 6 more picks in the post top 100.  Other than kicker, it seems that depth on defense will be the target.

I like our secondary.  Gonzalez, Davis, Dugger, Peppers, all top tier in my mind.  That 3rd CB (or nickel back) is a bit soft right now.  I don't like Marcus Jones as a corner.  Soft spots can be exploited by good teams.  Need to shore that up.

I am unsure on the LB group.  Some new guys I don't know that well.  Still no true "edge rusher", but to me, I think that is overblown (there are lots of ways to pressure the QB without that one position).  The LB group is a question in my mind, primarily because I don't know the new guys that well.

I like or DL depth.  If Barmore is back, with Milton Williams and Keion White, plus some decent depth, this should be a real strength.  Pressure the QB the old fashioned way, right up the middle.  That specialized edge rusher is nice, but I don't think you necessarily need it.  This DL should be tough to run on and should be able to generate pocket pressure.

[smicker16]

Draft Recap:

I was kind of hoping for Jeanty at #4 but really, Campbell is probably a good pick. Certainly not a bad pick.  In this draft, anyone at 4, after Hunter and Carter got taken top 3, was going to be a reach to some degree.  I have no idea how he will do in the NFL with his short arms, but I will assume he will be at least a little better rookie than Cole Strange was.  Strange started every game as a rookie and was solid.

Campbell
Strange
Bradbury
Onwenu
Moses

Decent OL with depth at every position.  Still some question marks (Strange, Campbell) but should be much improved over last season.

At #38, I don't know a lot about TreVeyon Henderson, RB.  His projection is a starter.  I read it is a good screen guy.  4.43 in the 40 at the combine looks great.  He is no Ashton Jeanty but looks like he will be a useful weapon for the offense.  We could have had Jeanty and say Ersery (LT taken at 48) instead of Henderson and Campbell, as our RB-LT combo but who knows.

At #69, we take Kyle Williams WR, what appears to me to be another WR project.  Diggs, Bourne, Douglas, and Hollins seem like locks.  That means Boutte, Polk, Baker, and now Williams are going to fight for probably 2 remaining spots.  Kyle Williams may not be any better than Boutte, at least in his rookie year.  Just seems a little redundant.

At #95, Jared Williams, a huge, highly athletic but raw Center (or possibly Guard) who projects as a starter per CBS Sports.  I know nothing about him but beyond what I just read, but I like it.  He can slot as a back up and we can see what he's got.

I do think it will be interesting to see how the WR room shakes out with some of these moves. I don?t think Bourne will make the team though unless Diggs seems likely to start the year on PUP.

[Vermont Green]

Overall, I think the draft was handled well by the Patriots.  There will be some busts and some missed players that will over-achieve, it just seemed more managed, more thought out than past drafts under Belichick.  Of course Belichick drafted well enough to have a title contender for 20 years, so clearly he did some things right, but overall, it seem like many of the picks were just Bill going with his gut, not relying on scouting and consensus so much. 

This draft, it was clear that Vrabel was the man, he was the final decision, the tone setter, but it seemed like he let the people around him do their job better than Belichick allowed them to.  I think Kraft recognized that drafting needed to get better.  He saw that they had to do better in the draft than they had been doing.  And I think they have done better.

What is the deal with Bradyn Swinson?  Seems like a steal.  Why did he drop to the 5th round?  Seems like exactly what we need.

[Vermont Green]

Draft Recap:

I was kind of hoping for Jeanty at #4 but really, Campbell is probably a good pick. Certainly not a bad pick.  In this draft, anyone at 4, after Hunter and Carter got taken top 3, was going to be a reach to some degree.  I have no idea how he will do in the NFL with his short arms, but I will assume he will be at least a little better rookie than Cole Strange was.  Strange started every game as a rookie and was solid.

Campbell
Strange
Bradbury
Onwenu
Moses

Decent OL with depth at every position.  Still some question marks (Strange, Campbell) but should be much improved over last season.

At #38, I don't know a lot about TreVeyon Henderson, RB.  His projection is a starter.  I read it is a good screen guy.  4.43 in the 40 at the combine looks great.  He is no Ashton Jeanty but looks like he will be a useful weapon for the offense.  We could have had Jeanty and say Ersery (LT taken at 48) instead of Henderson and Campbell, as our RB-LT combo but who knows.

At #69, we take Kyle Williams WR, what appears to me to be another WR project.  Diggs, Bourne, Douglas, and Hollins seem like locks.  That means Boutte, Polk, Baker, and now Williams are going to fight for probably 2 remaining spots.  Kyle Williams may not be any better than Boutte, at least in his rookie year.  Just seems a little redundant.

At #95, Jared Williams, a huge, highly athletic but raw Center (or possibly Guard) who projects as a starter per CBS Sports.  I know nothing about him but beyond what I just read, but I like it.  He can slot as a back up and we can see what he's got.

I do think it will be interesting to see how the WR room shakes out with some of these moves. I don?t think Bourne will make the team though unless Diggs seems likely to start the year on PUP.

Yeah, if they move on from Bourne, that would open things up some.  You are probably right, good chance that is how it goes.  I would rather keep a young guy over Bourne, but only if you know the young guy isn't another Tyquan Thornton.