The NFL Draft is in the books, meaning that the league is heading toward the quietest time on the calendar. Of course, pro football never really sleeps; offseason workout programs are underway and roster movement still happening.<\/p>\n
The New England Patriots also keep themselves busy at this time of the year. With that as a precursor, let\u2019s clean out the notebook from the week that was. Welcome to our latest Sunday Patriots Notes.<\/p>\n
The Patriots selected nine players in this year\u2019s draft<\/a>, and then added a dozen more as reported rookie free agency signings<\/a>. And yet, they are far from done constructing their roster for the 2026 season. Some big questions, after all, still remain left to be answered.<\/p>\n What will happen at wide receiver? The Patriots trading for A.J. Brown is an open secret at this point in time, but his arrival might not be the only wide receiver move in New England. What will happen with the likes of Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas, for example, both of whom candidates to be traded? There is also the sophomore factor of whether or not Kyle Williams and Efton Chism can take the next step to develop into regular contributors. Long story short, Brown is the biggest domino to fall, but far from the only one.<\/p>\n Where is the speed rush coming from? Leading up to the draft, Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf mentioned a need for speed on the defensive edge. The team did indeed go on to add to the position, selecting Gabe Jacas in the second round. Jacas is a promising player who should be able to contribute right away, but he is not true speed guy. So, who will bring that element to the edge in 2026? Time will tell, even though we will be keeping an eye on 2025 fifth-round draft pick Bradyn Swinson this summer.<\/p>\n Who will emerge as the depth linebackers? Jack Gibbens, Jahlani Tavai and Marte Mapu were the third, fourth and fifth linebackers on the Patriots\u2019 roster last year, and they will all be playing elsewhere this season. How their contributions will be replaced in 2026 is yet to be decided, even after the draft. New England did add Namdi Obiazor in the sixth round and Khalil Jacobs as a UDFA, but neither they nor any other of the current depth options \u2014 K.J. Britt, Chad Muma, Otis Reese, Amari Gainer \u2014 are in a clear position to earn a role.<\/p>\n Who is going to be the Khyiris Tonga replacement? As their primary nose tackle and one of the best run defenders on the team, Tonga played a relatively minor but nonetheless important role along the Patriots defensive line last year. The belief was that the team might try to replace him in the draft after he departed for Kansas City, but that did not happen. So, how will he be replaced? A mix of Joshua Farmer and Eric Gregory might be tasked with the job.<\/p>\n What will the running back depth chart look like? Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson are undisputed as the top two options in the Patriots\u2019 running back room, but the other spots on the depth chart are up for grabs. Seventh-round pick Jam Miller will compete for one of them, as will undrafted rookie Myles Montgomery. As with the linebacker group outlined above, however, all options appear to be on the table between them and fellow roster hopefuls Lan Larison and Terrell Jennings.<\/p>\n New Patriots guard Alijah Vera-Tucker is no stranger to going up against top-notch competition in practice. The former New York Jet spent the first five years of his career facing Quinnen Williams in practice, a challenge that he claimed has made him a better player overall.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s definitely a blessing,\u201d Vera-Tucker said this week. \u201cYou\u2019d rather practice against those guys than play against them. Quinnen Williams, definitely a top-five D-tackle in this league. I was very blessed to go up against him every day; he was most likely the best D-tackle I was going up against all year.\u201d<\/p>\n Now in New England, Vera-Tucker will be facing a similar challenge in the former of Milton Williams and Christian Barmore.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they bring a lot to the table,\u201d he said. \u201cWe all saw what Milton brought last year. I\u2019m just blessed to be practicing and getting better with them instead of playing them.\u201d<\/p>\n The Patriots\u2019 head coach has been in the spotlight ever since photos of him and NFL reporter Dianna Russini at a adults-only resort in Arizona were published by the New York Post last month. Russini has since lost her job, while Vrabel entered counseling and missed the third day of the NFL Draft as a result. Those are the facts we know for certain, but a lack of information has not stopped the rumor mill from working overtime.<\/p>\n One of the latest rumors mentions the Kraft Family considering Mike Tomlin as a potential replacement should Vrabel\u2019s situation become untenable for one reason or another. The Krafts doing their due diligence would make sense, and Tomlin is as experienced a coach as you would find on the free agent market.<\/p>\n That being said, the odds of such a transition happening \u2014 questions about the veracity of the report by the Daily Mail notwithstanding \u2014 still look fairly low. Unless his personal life starts impacting his performance as head coach of the Patriots, it would be a surprise if any changes were made in the near future. The Kraft Family still seems to be very much committed to Vrabel regardless of the whole affair and its fallout.<\/p>\n Draft pick signings start early<\/p>\n Even though it has not been made official yet, the Patriots have reportedly signed the first member of their 2026 draft class: cornerback Karon Prunty put his signatuer under his four-year rookie deal this week.<\/p>\n