The NFL Draft is just over two weeks away, as Mike Vrabel and his staff will look to add even more talent after breaking the bank in free agency.
Given the recent signings of playmakers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, the receiver position isn't one of the biggest needs like it was to begin free agency, although the team could use one of their nine draft selections to add even more talent out wide.
The recent Joe Milton III trade solidified Joshua Dobbs as the teams backup quarterback, and New England has addressed their offensive line with Morgan Moses and Garrett Bradbury.
One position that has remained untouched on the offense throughout the Patriots free agency frenzy is running back.
In an article written by ESPN Patriots Insider Mike Reiss, Vrabel spoke on the position, leading to even more certainty that New England will add another player alongside Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson.
"People talk about Rhamondre and putting the ball on the ground, and he knows that. We'll help him there, and also we're going to make sure the other 10 players know their job is to protect the guy with the ball as well... We'd love to add good young players on offense, and skill players."Mike Vrabel
While Vrabel spoke of Stevenson, he didn't mention Gibson, who totaled 744 all-purpose yards last year and was the team's leading receiving back.
Stevenson and Gibson are insanely close in stature, each checking in at 6 feet and 228 or 227 pounds. Neither of them have the breakaway speed, as both were used between the tackles. Gibson saw more receiving work, but he isn't your prototypical receiving back.
In previous Josh McDaniels tenures, the Patriots saw success from smaller, quicker running backs in the recieving game. Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen, Dion Lewis and James White are just a few names who played under McDaniels.
Players like these are so valuable on long-distance and third downs, and provided Tom Brady with security blankets over and over again throughout the years.
Looking at this Patriots roster, Stevenson excels at getting downhill and running between the tackles. He can be a valuable runner on early down situations, but isn't known for his skills in the receiving game. Gibson filled in nicely when Stevenson struggled, but Vrabel's latest comments reveal the team may want to go in a different direction in terms of a true recieving back.
In this case, Gibson may be the odd man out. He is still under contract for two more seasons but could see his role diminish if the team selects a running back later this month.
Ashton Jeanty is the clear-cut best running back in this 2025 class, and the Heisman runner-up is viewed as a top 10 pick, but the Patriots have more pressing needs to address.
Some receiving backs the Patriots could target later in the draft include Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson, Texas' Jaydon Blue and USC's Jo'quavious "Woody" Marks.
The Patriots will look to select another franchise cornerstone at pick No.4 when the NFL Draft begins on April 24th.