Patriots News 04-19, Countdown To Draft Day
Patriots Offseason: Vrabel Addresses Team, A.J. Brown Trade Doubts, and Draft Focus on Edge Speed
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Posted Under: 2026 Patriots Draft
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Good morning, and a happy Sunday to all. Here is your Patriots news for 04-19, along with this week’s NFL notes.
The Patriots return tomorrow, April 20, for their first offseason workouts of the spring. And I would expect Mike Vrabel to address the team and let the players know what his take is on the Dianna Russini fiasco. The two were photographed hugging and holding hands by a pool in Arizona.
Vrabel has always preached accountability, and he is no exception. He hasn’t spoken publicly since his initial statement, and he may not speak publicly on it again. But he will speak to the players, if nothing else, to reiterate what he’s already said. But they need to hear it from him. And they will.
Russini resigned from The Athletic before the internal investigation into her relationship with Vrabel was complete.
“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,” Russini said in a letter sent Tuesday to Athletic executive editor Steven Ginsberg, according to a screenshot she posted on “X”…
“Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept,” she added.
“Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now — before my current contract expires on June 30. I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career,” she noted.
Then, USA Today fired NFL reporter Crissy Froyd over her comments on the resignation of Dianna Russini from The Athletic.
“I’m sure you were told to submit this or that you’d get fired instead,” Froyd wrote on “X” in response to Russini’s circulation of her resignation letter.
“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. We know who you really are and what you’ve been up to for years. It does so much detriment to women in sports who have done things the right way.”
In a crazy twist to the story, just hours later, Russini helped a 73-year-old man and his dog escape from an overturned Jeep after an accident with a 17-year-old driver. You just can’t make this stuff up.
The NFL has announced that it will not investigate Vrabel under the personal conduct policy.
A repeat from last week: With the draft just around the corner, to those of you who don’t subscribe to The Athletic, you are missing out on Dane Brugler’s draft guide, named “The Beast.” It is the best out there, and I look forward to it every year. And it is aptly named; he has written 600 pages of draft profiles on 2,700 players, including 99 QBs. That kind of detail is unheard of, and it is just fantastic.
We’ve heard all of the talk of the A.J. Brown trade to New England until we’re blue in the face. Most everyone is tired of hearing about it, but Wolf and Vrabel know there is no guarantee that it will happen, given the Patriots don’t want to match Philly’s demand for multiple picks, including a #1 pick.
At this point, I’m a no… I don’t want to give up multiple picks for a player with knee issues. We all know how good Brown is when he’s on top of his game. But how long would that be for the Patriots? The 2027 draft is supposed to be an excellent one, but giving up two early picks for Brown? Nope. It would be a difficult but firm no.
So, there are really good WRs and tight ends in this class. I’d prioritize getting a pass-catching tight end early and try to find a WR who can fit in the room. They got younger at the position with Romeo Doubs over Stefon Diggs, who, while not as productive, should be a nice fit with Drake Maye.
Plus, they expect Year 2 with Kyle Williams to be much more productive; he flashed at times as a rookie but struggled for much of the year, too. But he averaged 20.9 yards per reception. That should be enough for the offense to remain productive in 2026.
With improved (and healthy) offensive line play, the running game should take a lot of heat off Drake Maye and the passing game.
Adam Randall: The Patriots are frequently mocked with the Clemson running back. He’s a big, converted wide receiver; it is rare to see a prospect with his size (6’3, 233), speed, and pass-catching ability.
He reminds one of Cordarelle Patterson. I was speaking with my good friend Scott “The Motor City Madmouth” Morganroth before the Senior Bowl about Randall.
While he was in Mobile, he sought out Randall on the field for an interview, and here it is. I’d love to see the Patriots make a run at Randall on Day 3.
Deion Branch: It was announced this week that former Patriots WR and Super Bowl Champion Deion Branch will announce the Patriots’ Day 2 pick in accordance with the NFL’s Legends initiative.
The Patriots have two picks on Day 2, currently scheduled for pick #63 in Round 2 and pick #95 in Round 3, barring any trades.
Will Anderson: The Texans’ uber-talented edge rusher has reportedly agreed to a three-year, $150 million contract extension on Friday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The blockbuster deal has $134 million fully guaranteed, “which includes a rare no-trade clause, was done by @AgentNicoleLynn of @KlutchSports,” Rapaport posted on “X”.
Patriots No Huddle Podcast: Derek, Mike, and I conducted our latest NFL Draft podcast on our new platform right off the PatsFans.com website. You can always check out our podcasts on our YouTube channel.
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Russ Francis/Chuck Fairbanks: The former Patriot tight end and head coach should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn’t is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed how teams used the tight end position.
We will continue to display this in our Sunday posts until it happens. Casper is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Francis’ numbers stand up well against Casper’s, yet he isn’t even in the team’s HOF.
The Patriots have several holes to fill and many needs across the board to continue the success they enjoyed a year ago. The Patriots have 11 total picks: # 31, 63, 95, 125, 131, 171, 191, 198, 202, 212, 247.
The biggest needs continue to be edge, a right tackle of the future, swing tackle, wide receiver, tight end, linebacker, secondary, and defensive line depth, and a third running back.
At the Scouting Combine back in February, Eliot Wolf spoke to the media about the edge-rusher class, where as many as 16 could be drafted in the Top 100.
At the Patriots press conference on Monday, Wolf was asked about what the Patriots may be looking for in an edge rusher. Wolf said the Patriots would like to add more speed rushers off the edge.
“We could complement our room with some speed, I think that’s evident. Dre’Mont Jones, Harold Landry, and Elijah Ponder, and some of the other guys (Bradyn Swinson, Jesse Luketa), all have their skill sets. We would like to get faster.
“Dre’Mont is a guy who can play across the line. He can sneaky-beat you with speed, but that’s probably not his bread-and-butter, and so that’s an area where we’re trying to improve the depth on the roster,” Wolf said.
But speed isn’t the Patriots’ forte on the edge. Last season, the Patriots’ average time to sack an opposing quarterback was 4.01 seconds, the third-slowest time in the league. That number reflects more positively on the secondary than it does on the edge rushers.
However, after Landry was hobbled by a knee injury in the 2nd half of the season, they got uber-aggressive, blitzing at a 31.7 percent rate, which was the 5th-highest in the league.
The defense will probably remain aggressive in 2026, but not at that rate. But as Wolf pointed out, they need to get faster at the edge. Landry and Jones are bigger, physical players, but not necessarily considered the quick-twitch speed rushers that they need.
A lot of mock drafts have them going after other power rushers like Zion Young from Mizzou, Gabe Jacas from Illinois, and T.J. Parker from Clemson. All three of them are fine players who bring physicality and violence to their games.
But if they are looking for more speed, then the Patriots would need to look elsewhere.
Some of the best pure speed rushers in the draft include Cashius Howell, Texas A&M, R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma, Malachai Lawrence, UCF, Romello Height, Texas Tech, and Keyron Crawford, Auburn.
I’d hope (for the player’s sake) that the Patriots don’t take Howell. Because another spring/summer with the incessant harping on arm length would be unfair to the player. His tape shows that he’s super quick off the edge with the bend needed to threaten the edge.
Thomas is a smaller player, but has incredible burst and bendability, and plays more physically than his size would suggest.
Height is smaller, too, at 239 pounds, but flies off the edge. Lawrence had an incredible Combine workout, and his speed and athleticism set him apart. He has good length and size at 6’4, 255. Crawford is an ascending player with speed off the edge and looks to be just hitting his stride.
We’ll see how it all plays out for the team once the draft begins on Thursday night in Pittsburgh. One of these players or perhaps another will hear his name called.
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“Somebody asked me what success looks like, and I said, ‘Yeah, you can judge it by wins and losses during the season, but success for me in the offseason is going to be that the players believe in what we’re doing, and they believe in the message, they believe in the teaching, and they believe in the connections that we’re making.’” — Mike Vrabel
Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]
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Dianna Russini resigned from The Athletic before an internal investigation into her relationship with Mike Vrabel was complete. She stated she refused to lend further oxygen to the media frenzy and its narrative, choosing to step aside before her contract expired.
The article indicates the Patriots may chose not to trade for A.J. Brown. They are reportedly unwilling to match Philadelphia's demand for multiple picks, including a #1, especially considering Brown's knee issues.
Eliot Wolf stated the Patriots want to add more speed rushers off the edge to complement their current physical players like Dre'Mont Jones and Harold Landry. They aim to improve depth and overall team speed at the position.
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Right on Steve regards AJ Brown. Didn’t everyone declare PHI is doing nothing till after June 1st? But alas, it’s nothing but 24*7 articles? I think they must have AI engines writing them now. Maybe they can go back to DeAndre Hopkins if Brown falls through? Bottom line is, teams look to reduce the amount of players with high cap hits. Especially older or health risk guys like AJ Brown. Not add them. 2 high picks makes no sense, accept for the storys/page hits. Regards speed at edge, that’s great, but small guys can’t play first or second down, nor… Read more »
If Anderson gets $50 mil/yr, shouldn’t Gonzo be asking for at least $40 mil?
How much is the Athletic paying to push their lefty rag?