The New England Patriots opened their doors for rookie minicamp on Friday, welcoming their rookie class to the Gillette Stadium practice fields to get the 2025 offseason programs underway.
Getting back on the field with his team is something that head coach Mike Vrabel has been waiting four months for since he was officially named the head coach of the team.
Here are notes and takeaways from rookie minicamp:
Offensive Line
The most popular event heading into camp was the offensive line, headlined by Will Campbell, New England’s top draft choice selected fourth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
There’s been a lot of talk about Campbell and his arm length not being exactly up to the status of the prototypical offensive tackle, which didn’t appear to be a problem over the weekend.
Campbell is going to be one of the only offensive linemen who is focused on one position (left tackle), while fellow rookies, Jared Wilson and Marcus Bryant, are required to be more versatile along the offensive line.
Wilson was drafted as a center and only has limited experience in college, but he finished the combine as the most athletic offensive lineman, and he could be utilized as a guard. Vrabel mentioned that all the centers should be able to play all three interior positions.
Marcus Bryant started at left tackle all four years in college, however, he’s been working at right tackle in minicamp.
Jack Conley, the undrafted offensive lineman out of Boston College, is versatile and has experience at both tackle and guard positions on either side of the line. He’s 6-foot-7, 333 pounds, and was utilized at left guard next to Campbell over the weekend.
It’s worth keeping in mind that offensive line coach Doug Marrone was working for BC last year as a senior football analyst and saw a lot of Conley in the year.
#Patriots ran UDFA Jack Conley (6’7”, 333 lbs.) at LG next to Will Campbell (6’6”, 319 lbs.) at LT to open rookie camp.
— Justin Trombino (@Trombino20) May 11, 2025
While at BC, Conley played RG, LG, RT, and as a tackle-eligible tight end.
Doug Marrone was the Senior Analyst for Football Strategy/Research at BC last year… pic.twitter.com/OB9Aaef422
Running Backs
Second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson wasn’t in attendance on Friday and was the only rookie not there on the first day of minicamp, but he did arrive for Day 2 on Saturday.
Undrafted rookie free agent Lan Larison received a lot of work over the weekend, even seeing some individual time from both Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. He worked out of the backfield in the run game, but more importantly, in the pass game, which is where he can be the most lethal weapon for the Patriots.
Larison also received $175,000 in a guaranteed contract, which is a larger deal than being a late-round draft and shows how highly New England thinks of him. He also received interest from other teams, which raised the price just a bit as well.
Another undrafted rookie free agent, Brock Lampe, is the only fullback on the roster. He saw work out of the backfield and on the line as a tight end. Lampe has expert-level blocking skills and will be valuable this season.
Wide Receivers
All the hype is around rookie third-round draft pick Kyle Williams. He ran a 4.40-second 40-yard dash (Top-10) and clocked 1.55 seconds in the 10-yard split at the NFL Combine. He was ranked as the top separator in his draft class and when it comes to his intensity and having that dawg in him like former NFL wide receiver, Steve Smith, he’s making us all wait for it.
“You’ll find out soon.”
The other receiver that was active was John Jiles, who was signed to a future/reserve contract in the beginning of January and he was on the practice squad last year. He was one of the most targeted receivers and made an impressive high-point catch through contact with a toe-tap finish along the sideline.
Efton Chism III, undrafted free agent, was present and made a few catches throughout.
Defense
Before practice started, Vrabel addressed the media, sharing that defensive coordinator Terrell Williams won’t be joining the team in-person at this time, as he went through a “traumatic health scare” and is currently at his home in Detroit with doctor’s orders to remain there and not to travel anywhere at this time.
Williams was on a Zoom call later in the day with some media members, where he didn’t talk about what the “traumatic” health scare is, but that he is still involved with the team remotely. In his absence, inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr is handling the duties of running the defense for minicamp purposes right now.
Vrabel was seen coaching up the defense from time to time with John Streicher, vice president of football operations, who was the one with the chest pad getting hit by linebackers.
Both Streicher and Kuhr were in Tennessee with Vrabel.
Special Teams
Due to the weather, practice was held inside the fieldhouse practice facility, but rookie kicker Andres Borregales was not seen at Gillette Stadium. That said, rookie long snapper Julian Ashby was present at the indoor practice.
Other Notes
The next phase for the Patriots is OTAs with the entire team beginning on May 19. We’re less than one month away from the start of mandatory minicamp.