Karen Guregian: Mike Vrabel has quickly changed perception of Patriots in 2025

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Karen Guregian: Mike Vrabel has quickly changed perception of Patriots in 2025

Karen Guregian · MassLive

Sun, Apr 27, 2025 ·

5 min read

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In the 104 days since his introductory press conference in January, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel has already accomplished what seemed like the impossible at season's end.

Arriving on the heels of back-to-back 4-13 seasons, and inheriting one of the worst rosters in the NFL, Vrabel has managed to flip the script in short order.

Instead of continuing to head further into the abyss, he's risen above the fray and created some modest expectations for the bottom-feeding Patriots .

He's provided a measure of hope five months ahead of the start of the 2025 regular season.

Between moves made in free agency, and the just-completed draft, there's been a change in outlook, and a completely different vibe when it comes to the dynamics of the team.

While the Patriots haven't played a game, they've already gotten up from the mat in some eyes. There's actually talk of them possibly making the playoffs.

Playoffs?

That's what happens when you spend money in the right places, add legitimate talent, have a well-constructed plan, and execute.

That's what happens when you make over the roster in all phases - offense, defense, special teams - and make sound decisions.

You get a more competitive team that, at the very least, is in the hunt for the postseason.

In short order, the Patriots have gone from being a doormat, a last place team in the division, to moving up a rung or two, leaping the Jets and perhaps the Dolphins, too.

Popping from one NFL Draft broadcast to another, the Patriots were being praised by the experts for what they had accomplished, and the shrewd moves that had been made over the course of seven rounds.

Last season, those type of conversations didn't exist after the draft, save for hailing the selection of quarterback Drake Maye.

But, one by one, Vrabel, Eliot Wolf and Ryan Cowden have addressed the team's biggest needs. While school's still out on whether first-round pick Will Campbell can be effective enough to handle left tackle with arms that are considered too short, the Patriots still checked off a significant box.

They drafted the Hulk-like LSU product, then added another left tackle ( Missouri 's Marcus Bryant ) in the seventh round for good measure.

Along with providing more support on the offensive line, Maye was given better weapons to help get the offense moving.

Star wideout Stefon Diggs was the biggest offensive prize in free agency. Even coming off an ACL injury, Diggs figures to enhance the offense just by his mere presence.

Then in the draft, the Patriots selected Washington State receiver Kyle Williams , who is a dynamic playmaker.

They also added Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson. He's an explosive player and a threat every time he touches the ball.

"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 has here for this football team," Cowden, the team's vice president of personnel, said Saturday. "That started in free agency and that's been a major emphasis for us as we've gotten into this draft process."

The foundation has been built up better thanks to adding those notable pieces to the offensive line, while also putting a charge into the offense with a few difference-makers.

Draft-wise, they may have also come away with a few steals thanks to some higher-ranked players ( DT Joshua Farmer, DE Bradyn Swinson ) falling down the board.

When the draft concluded, it was hard to ignore the smile on Wolf's face, as the team's executive vice president of personnel seemed pleased by what went down for the Patriots the past three days.

"I think we were really able to help the team out," Wolf said following the completion of the seventh round. "As far as what we tried to accomplish, it was filling some of the holes that we had, and increasing the depth and competition on the roster with the right type of people."

That notion was evident pretty much across the board, including at long snapper, where Vanderbilt's Julian Ashby, a seventh-round pick, is expected to compete with veteran Joe Cardona .

The braintrust left few, if any stones unturned. While safety might not have seemed like the hugest need, the Patriots have been hard-pressed to replace Devin McCourty in his free safety role.

Instead of having a strong safety play out of position (see Kyle Dugger and Julius Peppers ), the Patriots drafted Cal's Craig Woodson, who seems like a perfect fit for the job.

The Patriots were very intentional, making moves up the board to land the desired player ( Florida State DT Joshua Farmer) , while collecting picks by moving down several times.

Vrabel and his group seemed much more in command of the board. They had a clear vision of what they weres trying to accomplish.

Even Wolf, who took the blame for last season's draft failures, said as much when talking about what was different this time around.

"It was just a really good process," he said. "This is on me from last year. We just didn't have an organized enough process, and Ryan Cowden and Coach Vrabel and Stretch [John Streicher] really came in and helped me organize this. I think we're going to have a productive group."

After the past few seasons, people were starting to have doubts whether the Patriots could return to relevance.

They're still not there, but they appear to be on their way. As Vrabel & Co. know all too well, perception only becomes reality with wins.

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