INDIANAPOLIS — It’s time to scout.
And measure. And interview. And gossip. And tamper.
Yes, it’s that time of year again in Indianapolis, home of the NFL Scouting Combine and host to all 32 teams this week as they conduct official and unofficial business. The information they gather this week will inform their decision-making next month in free agency and the draft come late April. For a second straight offseason, the Patriots have arrived at the combine with a top-5 pick and a boatload of cap space.
As the Pats head into a critical week for the future of the franchise, here are the seven most pressing items on the team’s to-do list:
Hello, Abdul Carter.
Nice to see you, Travis Hunter.
Take a seat, Mason Graham.
Executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf landed in Indianapolis on Monday, in part to help lead the team’s contingent during up to 60 formal interviews with prospects. These interviews last 15 minutes, though NFL teams can also chat informally with players during the course of the week. The goal is to test their football IQ, makeup and recall.
It’s expected the Patriots will meet with most, if not all, of the top prospects in Indianapolis. Carter, an All-American pass-rusher out of Penn State, is seen by some as the best player in this draft class. Most dissenters would argue Hunter is that player, after he thrived playing both wide receiver and cornerback at Colorado en route to winning the Heisman Trophy. Meanwhile, Graham is a stud defensive tackle from Michigan, who projects as a three-down difference-maker in the NFL.
Other prospects to watch for the Patriots at No. 4 overall: LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell, Georgia EDGE Jalon Walker and Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
Although teams are prohibited from discussing contract terms with upcoming free agents and their representatives until the NFL’s legal tampering window opens March 10, it’s common for these talks to take place at the combine anyway. Teams and player reps meet in restaurants, bars, conference rooms, hotels and coffeehouses across the city, where virtually all of the NFL’s biggest agents will swing through for at least a few days.
By the end of the week, the Patriots should have a feel for how much, say, Ronnie Stanley will command on the open market as the top free-agent offensive tackle. Or if Stanley has any interest in New England. By gathering contract estimates and gauging player interest, Wolf and new vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden can begin mapping out Plans A, B, C and D ahead of free agency to best position themselves when business opens in a couple weeks.
It’s a small group this year, but the Patriots would be wise to contact the agents representing the players they could soon lose to free agency.
Unlike external free agents, the front office is free to speak with these players and their reps at any time. But will there be interest?
Veteran corner Jonathan Jones could return as a utility man in the secondary, and Austin Hooper performed well last year as the team’s No. 2 tight end. Of note: the absence of contact this week doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of interest.
For example, the Patriots were far apart in their negotiations with safety Kyle Dugger at this time a year ago, then surprised his camp by applying the transition tag before the two sides eventually reached a long-term contract weeks later.
Veteran receivers Deebo Samuel and Cooper Kupp are on the trade block.
Myles Garrett, a future Hall of Famer, is trying to push his way out of Cleveland.
And perhaps D.K. Metcalf could spring free in Seattle.
The Patriots have all the resources they need to pull off a blockbuster trade this offseason. Doing so, however, would require checking two difficult boxes: getting Metcalf and/or Garrett’s current team to acquiesce, and ponying up a massive contract extension for the player to sign the day he lands in New England. So could they do it?
There’s only one way to find out: set up a few meetings with those teams, order up some steaks and hash it out.
Most every prospect attending the combine will undergo a physical.
These physicals are critical because teams will move players up and down their boards based on injury risk alone. Most prospects are healthy and will come through squeaky clean, but occasionally these tests unearth a previously undisclosed injury or condition. Then, it’s up to teams doctors to assess whether these conditions deserve to be treated as a footnote or headline in the player’s scouting report.
In some cases, drafting injury risks pays off. Last decade, Rob Gronkowski vaulted from a second-round pick with back issues to a future Hall of Famer. On the other hand, Sony Michel went from 2018 first-round pick to a bust with bad knees in the matter of a few years.
By the end of the week, if the Patriots have ruled out a few players based on medicals, interviews or other intel, it will be a good week.
The information they gather should allow them to identify the prospects who best fit the vision guiding their rebuild. Last year, the Patriots pivoted to a new Packers-style scouting system that prioritizes talent over scheme fit and produced a larger draft board than those they compiled in the Bill Belichick era. This year, it’s unclear how much Vrabel and Cowden will influence how the front office operates and the draft board is assembled.
Like most head coaches, Vrabel is scheduled to hold a press conference this week.
He will meet with reporters Tuesday at 10:15 a.m., while Wolf’s press conference is set for Wednesday at 1 p.m.
A year ago, Wolf had to clean up a joking remark Jerod Mayo made days earlier on the radio claiming the team would “burn some cash” in free agency. Wolf also made a regrettable comment of his own declaring the Patriots would have a “less hardass type of vibe” in their facility after Bill Belichick; which, even if true, only fueled a narrative his regime wanted to pile on Belichick after his departure.
Under Vrabel, expect the Patriots to be more tight-lipped behind the podium as they work to present a more unified front in Indy.