The first two days of the 2025 NFL Draft has been all offense for the New England Patriots. That is not surprising since that side of the ball is where the team has their biggest needs. But, there is an area on defense where the team needs an upgrade and that is an edge rusher.
As the NFL Draft moves into Day 3 on Saturday, there is one intriguing prospect still on the board. One prospect who fits the mode of what Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel loves in a player. A player who plays the game hard, has the mindset of a champion and will have something to prove as he has slid in the draft.
That player is Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer.
Ohio State star has a lot of similarities to Mike Vrabel
Other than attending the same school, Sawyer will remind Patriots fans of Vrabel in his playing days. He competes on defense and finds ways to make winning plays like he did during the Buckeyes’ national championship run.
Instinctive, powerful and fearless, Sawyer would be an instant fit on defense at the edge rush position as the Patriots currently have 2023 second-round pick Keion White and Harold Landry has their prime rushers. Sawyer would have an opportunity to earn snaps and learn from Vrabel how to utilize his skillset in an effective and impactful way in New England.
With good size (6-foot-5, 260 pounds) and a high motor, Sawyer also has the kind of lateral quickness to track down outside runs and sniff out screens. He should be a fourth-round consideration for the Patriots who have already took care of most of their offensive needs in the draft in selecting Will Campbell, Treyvon Henderson, Kyle Williams and Jared Wilson on the offensive side of the ball.
Expect more offense on Day 3, but there will be a couple of players taken on defense and Sawyer seems like the perfect fit. With 4 picks in the fourth and fifth founds, the opportunity will be there, especially if Sawyer somehow falls to the fifth round. A no-brainer for Vrabel who already has plucked talent from his alma mater in selecting Henderson with the No. 38 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.