What we learned from Patriots HC Mike Vrabel at the 2026 NFL combine — and more

A day after New England Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf addressed reporters at the 2026 NFL combine, it was Mike Vrabel's turn.

And the head coach spoke about a lot, including how little time he's had to prepare for this week.

"Really, I haven't looked at much of the draft guys, personally, outside of what we looked at briefly in Foxborough before we came," Vrabel said. "But try to look at the free agents, try to understand, while we're here, who these players are. A lot of these guys I meet and I’m really excited to look at their film just based on their energy, just how they presented themselves and the passion in which they spoke. I'm excited to go and watch them."

So, here's a round-up of Vrabel's comments from his press conference on Wednesday:

Promoting Zak Kuhr to defensive coordinator

Just before the combine began, the Patriots promoted inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr to full-time defensive coordinator after he had served in that role this past season after Terrell Williams was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

"I think there's a lot of things in play there," Vrabel said. "I think we're just trying to figure out what's best defensively for us, what's best for the staff organizationally and being able to get everybody's strengths where they need to be. I know that Terrell [Williams] will be able to help me on a lot of things, help the football team, help the defense, continue to have a big role in that, and then just seeing where things progressed with Zak and the comfort level that we had there.

"So, that's where we ended up, and I think we have a great staff. There'll be some people that we'll add going through this process."

However, Vrabel has yet to determine an official title for Williams, who will remain with the team in a senior role.

"He will when I get back to Foxborough. I don't want to sit here and misspeak and figure out where that ends up," the head coach added. "I've got a plan for him, and I think that a vision is better than the title, necessarily. So, I don't want to say something and not have that be an accurate depiction of what ends up happening once we work through a lot of different things."

Stefon Diggs' future with the Patriots

When the Patriots signed Stefon Diggs last offseason, it was a situation that truly benefited both parties, with New England getting a talented receiver and Diggs proving he could bounce back from the injury. However, they now have a very interesting decision to make, as Diggs could save $26.5 million in cap space by cutting him.

However, Vrabel only had good things to say about the receiver when asked at the combine.

"I mean, not only his future, but what he was able to do for us and come in and provide leadership," Vrabel explained. "He worked extremely hard in the time that he was rehabbing from the knee. I think he was just a really good presence each and every week. So, as we look to evaluate the football team, we're doing that constantly, Eliot [Wolf], myself, Ryan [Cowden], Stretch [John Streicher] and Eliot's staff."

"There's a lot of things that we'll do between now and the time that the football season starts," he added. "So, that's going to be the same with, I would say, most every player on our roster."

However, there is one other factor at play as Diggs is facing assault and strangulation charges, in which he pleaded not guilty, with the pretrial hearing set for April 1.

“We’re going to let the legal process run its course, just like we’ve said before,” Vrabel said. “Those players, whether that’s Stefon or anybody else that has something, have done exactly what they’re supposed to do, been where they’re supposed to be, communicated with the court when they’re supposed to communicate with them. So, we’re going to let all that take care of itself, and then we’ll have to see what the judgments are in those particular cases.”

Thoughts on the draft class

When asked about the prospects, Vrabel immediately highlighted the tight end class.

"Whether they're premium players or what people would say are first-round picks, I just know that when you go and you evaluate other teams and you get ready to play for them, there's a bunch of fourth and fifth round tight ends that end up starting, playing and contributing," he said. "So, wherever that value is, I just think that there are some names there.

Vrabel also addressed the edge position, which is a big need for the Patriots.

"We've met with a bunch of edge players," the head coach stated. "There's depth there. So, we'll continue to work our way across the board and enjoy these meetings, and I'll have to go back and continue to watch."

And as for what he's looking for, Vrabel's answer was simple.

"I think that there's got to be a violence," he detailed. "There's got to be ability to move off the football and to create some sort of disruption. You have to be able to factor in on the quarterback. You have to be able to make plays on the football.

Relationship with A.J. Brown

There is a lot of speculation that the Patriots will be in the market for a true star weapon this offseason, and many think that Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown is a good fit. Brown has looked unhappy at times this past season in Philadelphia, so a trade is possible.

So with that, New England would be a good landing spot as he spent the first three seasons of his career with Vrabel and the Tennessee Titans.

“I’ve watched him grow. I’ve watched him mature. I’m proud of him, proud of the father that he is. I’m proud of the husband,” Vrabel said. “That has nothing to do with where he plays or where he played. Those are the things that are important.”

“We reach out and text each other during the good things that happen to each other. Sometimes things don’t go so well for the people that you’re close with, and you text for those as well. It’s a two-way street of support and reminders of what got us to where we are here today.”

Plan for free agency

Vrabel kept this one simple: "there's always time to be aggressive, but not reckless."

"We want to have a plan, and we want to bring in really talented players that we have a vision for, that we also believe in the type of character that they have as we build this team and improve on what we did this year," he explained. "So right now, the plan is to evaluate everybody that we can, have communication and conversations, when those times come, with the agents as we approach the tampering window.

"Right now, it's about gaining information from our scouting department and having our coaches look at it and then figuring out a few players at each position that may help us."

Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: What we learned from Patriots HC Mike Vrabel at the 2026 NFL combine

The Man City case has been dragging out for three years since the club was first accused of breaching financial rules in February 2023. La Liga chief has expressed concerns that this prolonged process has negatively impacted the Premier League's image.

Det siste året har Silje Opseth prøvd å komme seg ut av en mørk dal. Det har vært en lang kamp om å få kroppen under kontroll, og livsgleden tilbake.