After spending the most money in free agency last offseason by a mile, the Patriots chose to stockpile draft picks in 2026 to address their roster holes further. It completely fits the approach Mike Vrabel wants to take with the team, and they have a good opportunity to accomplish that with this year's class.
Although they're selecting much later in the first round than they have in recent years, their biggest needs are at deep positions, which certainly works in their favor.
But there is an issue that some analysts, like NESN's Evan Cormier, believe they're inevitably going to run into that will decide to compile 11 picks in this year's draft look like a giant mistake: most experts have deemed the incoming class of prospects as one of the weakest in recent history.