Patriots free agency and draft rumors we heard at the NFL Combine

The Scouting Combine is officially in the books as the stage has been set for NFL free agency next week and the NFL Draft later next month.

For the New England Patriots, their top decision makers had a busy week out in Indianapolis. Here’s what we’ve heard about their upcoming offseason and more from reports and conversations at the Combine.

Trench battles

As Mike Vrabel said in Indy, the Patriots plan to be aggressive in free agency. The top of that list features plans to upgrade both the offensive and defensive lines after the units significantly struggled last season.

Along the offensive line, Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley has been the team’s preferred target even prior to Alaric Jackson signing a three-year extension with Los Angeles this past week. Baltimore’s executives spoke optimistically during the week about retaining the soon-to-be 31-year-old, who played all 17 games for the first time this past season, but no deal has been agreed on with the franchise tag deadline approaching this week.

If Stanley does re-sign, New England will likely pivot to Steelers left tackle Dan Moore or Minnesota’s left tackle Cam Robinson, who was drafted by offensive line coach Doug Marrone in Jacksonville, as secondary options.

Additionally along the offensive line, the Patriots are expected to have interest in Stanley’s teammate Patrick Mekari, a super-versatile option who can play all five spots up front.

Flipping to the defense, Eagles defensive lineman Milton Williams will be near the top of the Patriots free agency wishlist. The soon-to-be 26-year-old was one of the top pass rushing interior lineman in the league last year with 54 pressures (10th in the league) and a 17.6 percent pass rush win rate (fourth).

With the Cowboys expected to use their franchise tag on defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa, however, Williams price will only rise as the top interior defender on the market. It could reach/exceed $20 million AAV.

Another name to watch on the defensive line includes Levi Onwuzurike, who spent last season under Terrell Williams in Detroit. Onwuzurike went on to have a career-year with 47 pressures.

Skill position plans

Outside of the trenches, the Patriots will expectedly be active in the wide receiver market. The main issue, however, is there might not be top talent worth paying available. New England will continue to follow the status of both Tee Higgins and Chris Godwin and will unsurprisingly be active in the bidding if either hit the open market.

If no deal can be found, New England could explore the trade market as the Boston Herald reports the team has “kicked the tires” on a potential deal for D.K. Metcalf. The Patriots could also rekindle talks for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk as the 49ers are open to dealing the soon-to-be 27-year-old in order to help reset their financial books.

After showing no interest in a trade to New England last year, Aiyuk went on to sign a four-year, $120 million extension with San Fran. He played in just seven games before tearing his ACL and MCL.

With New England now showing more promise with Drake Maye under center, perhaps Aiyuk feels differently about a deal this offseason. The price will be lower than last year’s reported agreement (second- and fourth-round draft picks plus Kendrick Bourne) due to the contract and injury. San Fran is well strapped with draft capital this year, but perhaps a package could be centered around pick No. 77 or 105 and Bourne.

It’s also of note that the 49ers was one team linked to defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, who has been given permission to seek a trade, at last year’s trade deadline. In their recent trade of Deebo Samuel, the deal originally included defensive lineman Jonathan Allen going to San Fran in the deal before they settled on draft compensation.

Beyond wide receiver, New England would like to add along the second and third levels of their defense. At linebacker, the growing belief is that the Eagles will retain Zack Baun after his All-Pro season. Baun will be the top linebacker on the market and have fit the mold of a more athletic linebacker to play in Vrabel’s defense.

The team is elsewhere expected to have interest in Jets’ Jamien Sherwood, who fits a similar mold, while San Fran linebacker Dre Greenlaw is also expected to hit the open market one-year removed from an achilles tear.

The Jets have interest in retaining Sherwood, who was voted the team’s MVP last season after a career-year in which he piled up 158 tackles. However, they are expected to lose cornerback D.J. Reed in free agency. Reed will be one of the top corners in free agency and could be on the Patriots radar in addition to Minnesota’s Byron Murphy, according to the Herald.

Another Niners player to watch in the secondary is cornerback Charvarius Ward. The 28-year-old is a lengthy corner along the outside who has 10 interceptions and 70 pass deflections to his name. He appears set to leave the Bay Area for a fresh start after a challenging year that included losing his 1-year-old daughter.

NFL Draft

Momentum seems to be growing for both the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns to take quarterbacks Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders inside the top three — with the Giants perhaps moving up to No. 1 overall to do so. That would be a best-case scenario for the Patriots as it would guarantee them pass rusher Abdul Carter or reigning Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter being on the clock at No. 4.

Things get more interesting if just one quarterback is off the board leaving the potential choice between LSU’s Will Campbell and Michigan’s Mason Graham. The Patriots reportedly view Campbell as a tackle but he would be an outlier for not just Vrabel’s old teams but in the entire league due to his lack of both arm length and wingspan.

If New England does not value any option at No. 4, the head coach also left the door open for a trade back.

Vrabel and his staff

There was a small contingent of Patriots coaches in Indianapolis this past week as the majority of assistants stayed back to get to work in Foxboro. It was hard to miss John “Stretch” Streicher’s presence throughout the week as he never seemed to wander far from Vrabel — perhaps signaling how important Streicher, who received the title vice president of football operations and strategy — finds himself in this new regime.

New Vice President of Player Personnel Ryan Cowden, who worked with Vrabel and Streicher in Tennessee, was also typically close-by while Eliot Wolf and Alonzo Highsmith rounded out the group of top executives in Indy.

As for Vrabel, the new head coach took on a leading role during player meetings throughout the week as he finds the right players to fit his vision. One of those options could be Georgia pass rusher Mykel Williams, who noted how different the Patriots ran their meetings.

Among Vrabel’s few assistants who did travel instead of staying in Foxboro was special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer — noteworthy as the Patriots could be in the market for a new kicker this offseason.

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