FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Graham a fit at 4?: When Mike Vrabel was introduced as Patriots head coach on Jan. 13, he cited two areas he believes statistically produce the highest odds of success -- affecting the opposing quarterback, and an efficient passing game on offense.
Vrabel & Co. travel to the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis this week and they'll be taking a closer look at prospects who could help them achieve those goals. Their focus starts with the No. 4 pick in the draft, with Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham figuring to spark a compelling discussion.
If Penn State linebacker Abdul Carter and Colorado cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter are selected within the top three, and the Patriots are uncertain that LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell is worthy of the pick, do they turn to Graham as the first defensive lineman picked in a deep class?
Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale offers a unique perspective on Graham -- from coaching him last season and his 19 seasons coaching in the NFL (most recently from 2022-2023 as New York Giants defensive coordinator).
"It's hard to be as productive as [Graham has] been from a 3-technique position," Martindale told ESPN in an interview, referencing the alignment on the outside shoulder of a guard.
"The thing that stands out the most to me is he knows how to use his hands better than a lot of players in the league right now. That's what stands out in college football -- he's hard to block."
Graham totaled 46 tackles (24 solo) and 3.5 sacks in 2024, while amassing 108 tackles (61 solo) and nine sacks over his three years at Michigan. His performance in a 13-10 win over rival Ohio State on Nov. 30, when he totaled seven tackles, stood out to Martindale as Graham's best work.
"He just physically [dominated] that entire offensive line," Martindale said. "You hear people say, 'he put people on his back,' and that's what he did. He wasn't going to lose that game."
In New England, the hope has been for fifth-year defensive tackle Christian Barmore to be that type of game wrecker. Barmore missed the first 10 games of last season after being diagnosed with blood clots in July, and after returning to play four games, he landed back on the non-football injury list as symptoms reemerged.
Yet even if Barmore is fully cleared for action in 2025, a case could be made that the Patriots (last in the NFL with 28 sacks last season) still need to feed the pipeline along the defensive line -- the type of approach that has paid dividends for the Super Bowl champion Eagles.
Martindale noted Graham's versatility allows him to play "all over the line" -- from a "5 technique" (head up on the tackle) to "a shade" on the outside or inside shoulder of an offensive lineman. Because of that, he views Graham as a matchup option that defenses can isolate against an opposing offensive line's weakest link.
Such an approach was similar to how Vrabel and first-year defensive coordinator Terrell Williams used 2019 first-round pick Jeffery Simmons in Tennessee with success.
Michigan listed Graham, who scouts say plays with top-end leverage and balance, at 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds. Teams will be looking to confirm those measurements at the combine -- where the defensive line will be the first position group to work out on the field Thursday -- because Graham doesn't have the long arms and super-size physical makeup of others such as fellow Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant (6-3, 339).
"You can definitely tell his wrestling background with the way he plays because of his balance and things like that," Martindale said. "The adjustment for him is going to be bigger offensive guards he's getting ready to go against. In college, the guards are 300 to 305 [pounds]. In the pros, they're 340 to 355. So that's going to be tough for him -- not in rushing the passer, but in the run game, the double-teams and those types of things."
Martindale had high praise for the behind-the-scenes approach of the 21-year-old Graham, who was born in Mission Viejo, California, and attended high school outside of the Anaheim area.
"He's a smart football player. He knows the system inside and out," he said. "He is a guy that during the games will come up and give you some ideas -- some not great, but a lot of them are good. He's into it that way and it's not selfishly motivated. It's always something to help the team, to help the defense, and that's what I appreciated about him."
2. Combine chatter: As for what to expect from the Patriots at the combine, Vrabel is scheduled to address reporters on Tuesday, while executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf is on the interview schedule for Wednesday.
It will be Vrabel's first Q&A with reporters since he was announced as coach on Jan. 13, and Wolf's first since last August in training camp. Thus, there's plenty of ground to cover with both.
3. Maye checks in: In one of his various interviews during Super Bowl week, quarterback Drake Maye said he would be splitting time between North Carolina and New England before the team's voluntary offseason program begins. He was here in New England this past week, working out at Gillette Stadium and introduced to some of the most frigid weather in the region since the team drafted him last April.
Maye also posted a picture on Instagram from Boston's TD Garden on Thursday night, as he was in attendance for the 4 Nations Face-Off final between the USA and Canada.
4. Drake soundbites: Maye was a guest on Chris Long's "Green Light" podcast -- in studio while visiting Louisiana -- and here were a few notable nuggets
Life in Northeast: "Foxboro is kind of an old college town feel. I like it. There's nothing around to do, so it's being at the facility and around the guys."
Players who might step up: "We brought in two rookie receivers -- Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker -- that are kind of feeling it out this year. They both battled some injuries. I'm hopefully expecting, one of them, if not both, to kind of make a splash this year. I'm taking it upon myself."
Most ferocious defense faced: "The Texans, it's hard not to say them. The Chargers, with Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack, they still have some kick in their stride and played well. The Jets were good; they had some guys banged up throughout the year."
Growing up a Panthers fan: "That 2015 run, my dad, we had season tickets. We'd always go to the games. I loved Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly, Greg Olsen all those guys. We went to the Super Bowl [in San Francisco], that was the first Super Bowl I ever went to and the Panthers lost. I told Peyton [Manning because] that was his last game."
5. Vrabel at Celtics: Vrabel was a guest at Celtics practice Saturday, continuing a tradition in which Patriots head coaches have strong ties with those leading Boston's other professional teams. Vrabel received an invitation from Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla.
"He obviously brings a championship-type perspective," Mazzulla said. "Any time you can get together with guys who are in the same arena as we are, and support each other, it's important ... The four people that have these jobs, for however long they have it, there has to be a brotherhood there. There has to be a communication and understanding that we're all carrying a responsibility to compete at a high level and bring championships to the city. So you have to learn from each other and have that perspective."
6. Gonzo's journal: Second-team All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez shared with the Patriots All-Access show that he keeps a journal, and one of the things he wrote in it last year was to be among the finalists for NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. Mission accomplished. He ultimately finished in fifth place in the final tally, with the award going to Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
7. Troy tale: Patriots Hall of Famer Troy Brown landing with the Giants as an offensive assistant traces back to 2002, when current Giants head coach Brian Daboll was in his first year as a position coach in the NFL as New England's receivers coach.
One of Daboll's top players was Brown, who had 97 catches for 890 yards and 3 touchdowns that season. Daboll was always appreciative of what Brown taught him that season -- player to coach -- and now they'll work together for the first time.
8. Hughes to Alabama: Tyler Hughes, who served as Patriots receivers coach in 2024, has been hired as an analyst at University of Alabama. That reunites him with head coach Kalen DeBoer, as he had coached on DeBoer's staff at University of Washington before joining the Patriots last year. In addition to Hughes finding a new home, here's where some other 2024 New England assistants landed new jobs:
Brian Belichick -- University of North Carolina
Bob Bicknell -- Raiders TEs
DeMarcus Covington -- Packers DL (reportedly)
Michael McCarthy -- Bengals assistant OL
Jerry Montgomery -- Bengals DL
Mike Pellegrino -- Bills DBs (reportedly)
Scott Peters -- Bengals OL
Tyquan Underwood -- Cowboys assistant WRs
Drew Wilkins -- Rams pass rush coordinator (reportedly)
9. Takitaki vs. Wilson: Veteran linebacker Sione Takitaki, who was released on Wednesday, never seemed to be fully healthy in his one season with the Patriots after undergoing a knee scope last spring.
The Patriots signed him to a two-year deal that included $3.125 million guaranteed after they lost Mack Wilson Sr. in free agency to the Arizona Cardinals on a three-year deal with $6.4 million guaranteed.
Wilson had 75 tackles and three sacks last season in Arizona, while Takitaki was limited to 11 games played and totaled 18 tackles. Not an ideal exchange for New England.
10. Did You Know?: The Patriots had a minus-11 turnover differential in each of the past two seasons. The last time they had back-to-back seasons with a minus turnover differential was 1999-2000, when they were minus-2 each of those campaigns.