Patriots Won't Let A.J. Brown Possibilities Impact Draft Plans

The New England Patriots have been connected to A.J. Brown for quite some time now. It's almost a sure thing that a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles will happen at some point this summer, and that Brown will finally join his childhood favorite team.

But before a deal gets agreed up, the NFL Draft sits right before any tade would happen. The Patriots, with 11 picks at their disposal, could end up deciding to pass on the possibility of Brown and just use a pick to grab a rookie wide receiver. They could also choose to sit out adding a wideout in the draft and hope that a Brown trade materializes.

All in all, the Patriots and head coach Mike Vrabel are not going to let a wide receiver on another team dictate how they operate this weekend drafting college players.

"I think we are going to continue to try to strengthen our team," Vrabel said when asked about a recent ESPN report, claiming that New England trading for Brown is likely. "The first focus is going to be on Thursday night and making sure that we get that right, and then we’ll focus on Friday. Saturday is always an important day."

That's been the consistent message from the Patriots' brass all offseason. Brown -- who's been vocal against the Eagles at times during his tenure in Philadelphia -- has ties to Vrabel and would instantly become the Patriots' first top-flight pass catcher since Antonio Brown in 2019.

Feb 25, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"Just to continue to build our roster," Vrabel continued. "Eliot and Ryan (Cowden) will have numerous conversations with different teams, but our first focus is gonna be on the draft."

"We're Going To Approach Every Draft With The Same Mentality"

The Patriots have 11 picks in this year's draft. It's more than enough if they want to move up and grab one of the best players in the draft early in the first round. But if Arizona State's Jordan Tyson or Texas A&M's KC Concepcion falls to 31, the idea of Brown won't hinder Vrabel from pulling the trigger on another name.

“We’re going to approach every draft with the same mentality," he said. "And that’s get the right players in the right spot to be able to draft the best player available that fits who we are, how we want to play.

"The versatility, the skillset, the ability to grow," Vrabel continued. "There’s also measurable to this game. There’s height, weight, speed. There’s a bunch of variables. But our conversations with other teams are gonna be surrounded around doing business on Thursday or Friday or Saturday."

New England currently has Romeo Doubs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Willimas, Efton Chism III, Jeremiah Webb amd John Jiles as the receivers on the roster. Boutte was absent from the team's first voluntary workout this week, something Vrabel isn't too worried about.

"I will tell you that Kayshon has communicated, (and) I texted him and told him that I respected him for doing so," said Vrabel. "But for whatever, there's different reasons why guys aren't here or will miss a day. That's their prerogative. It's voluntary."

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