It seems Mike Vrabel has been taking notes on the recipe to success in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles built the core of their Super Bowl team through the draft. They didn’t take unnecessary risks, rather drafted for best available player. That’s how they ended up with a defensive line good enough to give Patrick Mahomes fits all of Super Bowl 59.
Vrabel made it clear that’s going to be his approach as he prepares for his first season with the New England Patriots. The good thing for him is it’s easier to draft the best player available when you already have your quarterback locked down.
The Pats draft strategy is simple, and it's the right way to go
The Patriots don’t have to worry about a quarterback and can take whoever they feel is the best player that can take care of a need. They were the fourth-worst team in the NFL for a reason; they have a lot of holes.
Vrabel plans to patch as many of those with the best players, even if it means duplicating a position. That said, the Patriots might not get the best player they could with the No. 4 pick, thanks to the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants taking care of their quarterback issues.
So what does the Patriots draft look like now that they may not land Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter, who would have been phenomenal selections if they weren’t the favorites to be gone before the fourth pick.
New England’s goal of drafting the best players it can could mean trading down to maximize their draft capital.
It’s no surprise the Patriots have a long way to go before getting back to the top of the AFC East, which they haven’t been since Tom Brady and Bill Belichick paired up in Gillette Stadium. But that doesn’t mean they have to draft at No. 4 to get the best players they need.
Assuming the two best skill players are taken within the first three picks, the Patriots might benefit most from trading down. There’s quite a few teams that would be interested in drafting Shedeur Sanders. New England could stack picks within the first couple of rounds and maximize their draft plan.
Vrabel has the right idea of getting as many good players as they can. This draft favors New England in particular with it having a major need for EDGE rushers. They could take care of that and more if they consider trading down and adding a few more picks.
Hunter feels like the best fit for the Patriots, but it’s pretty clear either the Browns or Giants are taking him. Which means they will have to get creative. They don’t have to use the No. 4 pick for themselves. And if their goal is to use this draft to turn the franchise around, then their best bet is to trade down.
It will still allow them to get quality players and not feel pressure to take a gamble on a player earlier than they’d have to. On top of that, they could get more draft capital to address the plethora of needs they have.