Patriots' Rookies Contributing To Playoff Run

Gone are the Ja'Lynn Polks and the Javon Bakers and the Tyquan Thorntons. The busts that kept finding their ways into the New England Patriots locker room are no longer, and the 11-2 Patriots have found a draft class that they can build around.

Starting linemen Will Campbell and Jared Wilson, albeit both dealing with injuries, have slotted in nicely on the left side of the line. TreVeyon Henderson and Kyle Williams have carved out roles as offensive weapons, while safety Craig Woodson and defensive tackle Joshua Farmer have also contributed on defense. That's also not counting Julian Ashby (long snapper) and Andy Borregales (kicker) on the special teams units.

Now the Patriots sit just one win over the division rival Buffalo Bills to reclaim the AFC East, and the strong draft class is playing up to snuff. It's now time to see if they can turn it on when there are championship hats and t-shirts in the locker room for their Week 15 game.

So why was this draft class, the first under head coach Mike Vrabel in New England, so successful?

"I think you just have to rely on young guys that you draft," Vrabel said this week. "Hopefully, you can develop them and have them ready. Some of them have played a larger role than others, and some of them are kind of coming on and that they understand their role, that they have confidence and continue to improve. I think, by and large, the group has done that. We'll need a lot more from them as we move on, as we continue, especially this week, and then we can talk about how we target players and things like that later."

The Patriots' 2025 Rookie Class Is One Of Their Best Ever

The big ones have been the offensive linemen. Campbell (knee) and Jared Wilson (ankle) both missed the team's Monday Night Football win over the New York Giants, but are trending upwards for a potential playoff game.