When Eliot Wolf took over the Patriots front office, he brought with him a strong connection to the Packers, where his father, Ron Wolf, was the general manager for 10 seasons, including the team’s Super Bowl 31 win. In addition to the familial connection, Wolf worked for the Green Bay front office from 2004-17. One of the Packers’ core tenets is to draft players they believe strongly in and give them the space to develop. Based off this offseason and the first couple of training camp practices, Wolf and head coach Mike Vrabel are trying to emulate that in New England.
Drake Maye is the center of attention at training camp and rightfully so; the second-year quarterback showed promise last year, but also has some things in his game that need to grow. Early on, Maye appears to be in command of the Patriots offense and has clearly been making improvements from last year, such as taking more checkdown passes. Quarterback is the most important position in sports and the Patriots will have a young player starting. From there, the youth movement on the offense is only just beginning.
Will Campbell was selected fourth overall and will be the starting left tackle. At practice Thursday, Campbell’s technique looked good and he held his own against several different pass rushers, including Keion White. Of course, a full evaluation won’t be possible for a few more days when padded practices begin, but New England clearly views him as a major part of their offense in 2025.
Campbell won’t be the only rookie with a chance to start on the offensive line. Jared Wilson has been the backup center, but more notably has rotated in at center and guard with the first team offense. The third-round rookie was a second team All-SEC player last year in his first year starting at center and is supremely athletic for a player his size. He has a real chance to start at center or left guard at some point, and perhaps early on, this season.
The offensive skill positions also have opportunities for young players to earn significant reps in training camp. TreVeyon Henderson rotated in at running back with the second and first teams during practice Thursday, as did Kyle Williams. Third-year wide receiver DeMario Douglas has been the starting slot receiver and is likely to have a massive role in the offense. In 2023 while playing for Bill O’Brien in a similar offense, Douglas had 49 catches for 561 yards as a rookie before surpassing both totals last season. Rookie receiver Kyle Williams has a downfield speed element that the Patriots have not had in a long time, and they will look to give him chances to showcase that.
Defensively, the Patriots have several young players that could play major roles. Rookie Craig Woodson is battling for a starting safety role. While at Cal, Woodson played free safety, strong safety and slot corner; that versatility will give him ample opportunities to get on the field. Keion White was clearly frustrated with the coaching staff last year and in practice Thursday had reps with the first team defense. The 6-foot-5, 285-pound White could have a great year in his third season off the edge if his talent is able to be combined with improved coaching and an attacking style defense. At the very least, it appears Vrabel and his staff will give White significant chances to do so.
Third-year corner Christian Gonzalez has already established himself as an All-Pro. Thursday at practice, Carlton Davis was unavailable at corner and third-year corner Alex Austin stepped in to take starting reps opposite Gonzalez. Austin has developed into a solid depth piece that, at this stage, the coaching staff trusts enough to start in place of an injured Davis.
The Patriots will have their share of veterans, and any team that has any chance of being good needs veteran contributors. However, the youth movement is clearly a focus in Foxborough and it would not be a surprise to see as many as six players in their first or second season, plus several players in their third season, starting by the end of 2025. At the very least, the Patriots are going to give these players every opportunity to shine in training camp.