The New England Patriots need an influx of talent if they want to avoid another 4-13 season. They could also use an influx of toughness.
Mike Vrabel hopes to acquire players who check both boxes in his first season as Patriots head coach, whether that’s through free agency or the 2025 NFL Draft. And while New England has critical needs at wide receiver and edge rusher, you could argue they should invest more heavily in the trenches to shore up an offensive line that Pro Football Focus ranked the worst in football in 2024 and a defensive line that tallied the fewest sacks (28) in the league.
On the latest episode of the Next Pats Podcast, The Athletic’s NFL Draft expert, Dane Brugler, joined host Phil Perry at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and shared the names of four “blue-collar ballers” who play with an extra edge that should appeal to a team like the Patriots.
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Here are the four prospects Brugler highlighted and his assessment of each player, followed by their current projected draft range:
Will Campbell, OL, LSU
“He’s a guy that, from the moment he showed up in Baton Rouge as an 18-year-old freshman, he was a little bit different, the way he’s wired. He grew up same town as (former Bengals and Rams offensive tackle) Andrew Whitworth, so he kind of grew up modeling his game after Andrew. You saw it as a freshman, and then you saw it just get better and better and better.
“He’s going to get compared to a lot of lighter, athletic tackles, (but) this dude is physical. Jake Matthews, Bernhard Raimann, those guys — those fit when you talk about maybe the body type and the athleticism, but he is so much more physical than those guys are.
“So, when you factor in the toughness, I think Will Campbell definitely checks that box.”
Projected draft range: Top 5-10 pick
Lindsay Rhodes of Sports Illustrated joins Phil Perry on the Next Pats Podcast to discuss who the Patriots should take with the No. 4 pick in the NFL Draft.
Miles Frazier, OG, LSU
“I was actually just talking with Eric Gregory, an Arkansas defensive lineman, and someone asked him, ‘Who’s the toughest guy you went up against?’ He said Frazier and said he’s ‘different.’ From start to finish, you could tell he’s just wired differently, he plays differently, the play demeanor, the competitiveness. We saw that at the Senior Bowl; he was outstanding during the week.
“He’s not a guy that’s going to blow you away with some of the testing, some of the movement stuff, but he gets the job done. He finishes the mission. The toughness factor, the power that he plays with, sometimes it’s a little bit out of control, but he likes to play physical, likes to play tough.
“If you’re looking to upgrade on the offensive line, there’s a couple guys on this LSU offensive line that I think will make a lot of sense for the Patriots.”
Projected draft range: Round 3 or 4
Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State
“Arguably the best run-defending defensive tackle in this class. If you’re looking for flash and sizzle, he might not have that, unless you really love run defense. Because that’s where he stacks, sheds (blockers), really good with his eyes — he’s really impressive.”
Projected draft range: Late Round 1 or early Round 2
Alfred Collins, DT, Texas
“Just a gigantic dude, and another guy (who’s) maybe not the most rangy in terms of pass-rusher, but he’s so good against the run. He holds the point of attack, he has instincts, awareness, he understands play design (and) what the blockers are trying to do to him, and then he just has the physical traits where he is going to overwhelm you at the point of attack make the tackle.”
Projected draft range: Late Round 1 or early Round 2
Also in this episode: