As the New England Patriots prepare for Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft on Saturday, a day on which they are slated to make seven picks, they’re acknowledging that it might be more difficult without Mike Vrabel.
The franchise’s head coach, who leads much of what goes on within the football operations department, plans to miss the final day of the draft to spend time with his family amid an ongoing scandal centered on the numerous photos published in recent weeks of Vrabel and Dianna Russini, a former NFL reporter for The Athletic.
The Patriots have completed their draft planning, so it’s not like Eliot Wolf, the team’s executive vice president of player personnel, who will lead the draft room Saturday in Vrabel’s absence, will be flying solo. However, Vrabel brings different skills to the table.
“The stability of him as a person, some of the leadership, some of the presence,” Wolf said.
But there’s more to it than his demeanor.
The Patriots will miss Vrabel’s recruiting ability. That will factor in toward the end of Day 3 when teams woo undrafted free agents, who are fielding contract offers from multiple teams and deciding where to sign.
A year ago, in part because of Vrabel, the Patriots signed multiple undrafted players who spent the majority of the season on the team’s 53-man roster, including wide receiver Efton Chism and defensive lineman Elijah Ponder.
“He (Vrabel) does a nice job for us with the undrafted players,” Wolf said. “ … But again, we’re very confident in the people we have with the process. The assistant coaches have done a tremendous job, as have the scouts, preparing for Day 3. And we’re excited about it.”
Wolf confirmed on Thursday night that he will have final say on whom the Patriots select on Day 3. Wolf’s first draft class leading the Patriots in 2024 was largely a disaster. Drake Maye is the only significant contributor from that eight-person class.
However, team sources have said that was partly because Wolf and the front office didn’t have as clear a vision from an inexperienced coaching staff led by Jerod Mayo as they did in 2025, when Vrabel took over and defined the traits he was looking for at each position.
While Vrabel won’t be present at the team’s facility Saturday, Wolf said he believes he’ll be able to get in touch with Vrabel if needed, something the coach echoed.
“I’ll obviously try to communicate with Eliot and (VP of player personnel) Ryan (Cowden) and (VP of football operations and strategy John) Streicher or (owner) Robert (Kraft), if that’s necessary,” Vrabel said Thursday night. “But I don’t anticipate (it). … I’m confident that whatever they need, I’m going to provide. I’m excited about the work that everyone has done — Eliot and his staff — to get us to this point.
“I’m confident that just like last year, we’ll come out of this draft with players that our fans will enjoy watching, and they’re going to be great teammates and help us win.”
Head coaches are typically more involved with the early picks in the draft, while teams lean on their scouts and front office on Day 3 as lesser-known prospects are considered. Still, the absence of a head coach on draft day is incredibly rare. And it will leave a void.
The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 NFL Draft.