FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Patriots coach Mike Vrabel is operating “business as usual” ahead of the 2026 NFL draft.
Amid a week in which the 50-year-old made headlines after photos published by the New York Postshowed him withThe Athletic’s Dianna Russini at a Sedona, Ariz. resort, New England’s executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said Vrabel has remained involved in the team’s draft preparation.
“Very involved. Business as usual,” Wolf explained when asked about the coach's involvement in their process over the past week during a pre-draft press conference on Monday afternoon. “I would say he's been in there with us probably a little bit more than he was last year … He's been in there, he's been contributing, he's watched a ton of the players. He tries to watch every player … He has an opinion on these guys, and it's helpful … we continue to compile all of the information together.”
Wolf’s press conference took place inside the team’s new, state-of-the-art New Balance Athletics Center in Foxborough, Mass. Media members were given a tour of the facility—which features a brand-new draft room, an open-concept locker room, and a weight room that opens directly onto the practice fields—on Monday afternoon, and Vrabel was notably seen in his office, as were a handful of other Patriots coaches as they continue their offseason work.
New England owns 11 picks in the upcoming NFL draft, giving the Patriots plenty of options to improve their roster heading into next Thursday.
MORE: Patriots Latest Roster Move Highlights Major Need Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft
“We're open to anything,” Wolf said when asked if he could see the Patriots moving either up or down the draft board. “Whatever way we can possibly improve the team, we're open to. We have 11 picks. Most of those are kind of later in the draft, but we do have some flexibility with those 11 picks. I think it'll depend a little bit on how the board falls. If we view that there's a player that whether he's falling or there's somebody that we think we need to go get, we'll be open to those opportunities.”
The 2026 NFL draft begins on Thursday, April 23 and will take place at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium.
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MIKE KADLICK
Mike Kadlick is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He has a master's in public relations from Boston University. Kadlick is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.
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