Mike Vrabel Reveals Early Impressions Of Patriots’ Rookie Class

The New England Patriots brought aboard a beefy rookie class this offseason, and it’ll be a long time before we can truly pass judgment on it.

Mike Vrabel is pleased with the very early results, however.

Vrabel has been consistent with his messaging this offseason — a new development at One Patriot Place — insisting that his top priority is bringing the right kind of people into his system. The Patriots know that talent will ultimately be what gets the franchise back into contention, but the early stages of the rebuild put a heavier emphasis on leadership, character and culture.

Vrabel talked about what he’s seen from the rookie class on the first day of minicamp Friday, and addressed things that can already be shown despite minimal on-field work from the kids.

“I think that the draft grades and all that, who really knows? That stuff is, like we always say, it’s interesting, but I don’t think that’s very important,” Vrabel said, per team-provided transcript. “What’s important is how they continue to build a role on this football team and how they get acclimated to what we’re trying to do in the program. I think it’s a great group that seems responsible, that all handle the communication about getting here and the hotel. There haven’t been any issues – and not that we expect any – I’m just saying that these guys are off to a good start just as far as the professionalism that we expect. We’ll coach them up from what we see on the field.”

Vrabel clearly forgot about our draft grades, which were accurate and can be taken as gospel, but his overarching point backed up everything else we’ve heard from him since he returned to New England.

What can we expect out of this group?

It’s not for us to say, especially from an on-field standpoint. The Patriots signed a ton of veterans who can be expected to contribute, but based on the way the rookie class is viewed by the head coach, there’s a chance the young crowd forces its way onto the field earlier than others we’ve seen in recent seasons.