Mike Vrabel Gives Telling Hint to Patriots' Draft Plans

The New England Patriots are still in the midst of working through their pre-draft plans and ambitions ahead of April's approaching 2025 NFL Draft, shuffling around this year's group of incoming prospects to find the best potential fits for their operation next season and onwards.

However, first-year head coach Mike Vrabel might've given an interesting tell on one of the Patriots' primary focuses once draft time rolls around during the annual owners meeting in Florida.

When outlining the Patriots' running back position from last season and the year ahead, Vrabel noted that having a good, young runner on the roster is something the team potentially "would like to do."

"Having a good, young runner is something that's potentially –– something that we would like to do," Vrabel said. "I thought the guys coming back, I think Rhamondre [Stevenson] and [Antonio Gibson] were a good one-two punch. People are going to talk about Rhamondre putting the ball on the ground, and he knows that, and we'll help him there, and we're going make sure the other 10 players know that their job is to protect the guy with the ball as well... But we'll love to add good young players on offense, and skill players."

In a draft class that is credited with being stacked with strong, young talent, it wouldn't be a shock to see Mike Vrabel and Co. target the position early on in this year's draft, especially with the head coach's history of being successful with a dominant run game.

The Patriots' run game wasn't completely lacking last season, though it still could have room for growth, especially when discussing the unit that's blocking in front of them. New England was ranked 13th in the NFL for yards gained on the ground, which was actually a step in the right direction from the 2023 campaign, in which they ranked 26th in the league.

In 2024, the offense was led by Rhamondre Stevenson as the lead back once again, who collected 801 rushing yards on 207 attempts, paired with eight total touchdowns on the year. The seven fumbles allowed by Stevenson are where people tend to have their reservations about the Patriots' back, but even with those ups and downs, it's clear Vrabel has confidence in his back for the season ahead.

Still, that won't stop the Patriots from potentially dabbling in the position within a draft class expected to have a ton of worthwhile contributors to lean on. New England will have four picks held in the top-100, providing a perfect opportunity for New England to continue fortifying this offensive group, and hopefully resulting in an upward trend for the 2025 season.

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