It was an eventful spring for the New England Patriots. Mike Vrabel's group was active in free agency and filled several areas of need during the 2025 NFL Draft.
NBC Sports Boston's Patriots insiders Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry got a glimpse of the new-look position groups at OTAs and minicamp practices this spring. They came away impressed with the improvement at a few positions and underwhelmed by the personnel at others.
On a new episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast, Curran and Perry went position by position and graded New England's offseason moves. Here were the highest and lowest grades they handed out:
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Defensive line
Phil Perry: A-
"Khriyis Tonga stepping in to fill those massive shoes of Davon Godchaux," Perry said. "I'm a believer in Milton Williams. ... I also -- because part of this grade is how we see it tracking -- to me, one of the most impressive-looking people this spring on the Patriots roster is Christian Barmore. Boy, it looks like he is in fantastic shape."
Tom E. Curran: A
"Milton Wlliams, Christian Barmore, you should have a nice tandem of high-end players," Curran said. "And the ability to stop the run and to bow up on third-and-2. Can't put it all on Bobby Spillane. You're gonna have to get used to linebackers who are a little bit more wispy than you're accustomed to."
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Interior offensive line
Phil Perry: D
"I think this might be their worst work of the offseason," Perry said. "I don't trust that Garrett Bradbury is going to be an upgrade necessarily over even what they had last year. ... Between that left guard spot and that center spot, I think they could end up having real issues. ...
"They just drafted Jared Wilson. We didn't really get to see him this spring, so maybe he's a little bit of a forgotten character and maybe by D grade is a little harsh because I'm not factoring that pick in the way I should be, because I did like that pick. But until we see him play, it's hard to guarantee that he's gonna start at either spot."
Tom E. Curran: C-
"I'm a huge Cole Strange fan," Curran said. "I think he's better than people think. I don't think he's great, I just don't think he's a complete outright stiff, and I think people presume that because he was taken where he was in the first round and he hasn't turned into a solid NFL starter because of injuries."
Watch the episode on YouTube below for more positional grades: