NFL commissioner Roger Goodell poses with Offensive Tackle Will Campbell of LSU after he is selected by the New England Patriots as the number four pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field. Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Anonymous NFL Scout Makes Bold Patriots Claim

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Jared Koch | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 1:00 PM ET

After the dust has settled after a busy past few months, it seems like the general consensus surrounding the New England Patriots' most recent offseason has been mostly positive after conducting an array of changes around the franchise, both on the roster and on the coaching staff.

And it seems those positive feelings on New England's offseason have bled into NFL circles with executives and scouts, as the Patriots ended up catching some notable praise from one anonymous AFC scout during ESPN's latest interviews across the league.

It was the Patriots' draft that caught the attention of this AFC scout, who sees vast improvements from their 2024 class, and even sees New England not being "far away."

"I didn't love their [2024] draft, but I thought they did great this year," an AFC scout said. "Kyle Williams has a chance to be a real player. They haven't had an impact receiver there in a while. A lot of teams loved [running back] TreVeyon Henderson. And we were really high on [No. 4 pick] Will Campbell. I don't think they are that far away."

The Patriots' draft was one that tackled a lot of the necessary and remaining needs left around this roster, and gave Mike Vrabel his first crack at adding his preferred young talent into the building to help build up his core for the foreseeable future.

The selection of Will Campbell gives New England necessary stability on the offensive line and a potential leader and team captain in the locker room, TreVeyon Henderson gives this offense another dose of explosiveness, Kyle Williams has received a ton of hype through the offseason leading up to his rookie year as being one of the best steals at his position, Jared Wilson could be a week one starter on the interior, and that's a recap just their first two days of draft picks.

So on paper, the Patriots' draft class looks to be a notable success, and even one that could put New England in the hunt within the AFC during Vrabel's first year on the sidelines.

If the Patriots' year one talent can make an early impact next to New England's veteran additions, coaching improvements, and internal development, it might be the perfect storm necessary for this group to be in the postseason fray once again.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: