The best quotes from every player the Patriots selected in 2025 NFL Draft
Kyle Williams thought Mike Vrabel was an offensive lineman, while new Patriots edge rusher Bradyn Swinson shared why he always carries a football.
The 2025 NFL Draft has come and gone, with the Patriots adding 11 rookies to their roster over the seven-round event.
As those players got a phone call from Mike Vrabel, Eliot Wolf, or someone else to inform them that they were now a member of the Patriots, each of them got the opportunity to introduce themselves to New England fans over the weekend as well. Let’s take a look at the best quotes each of the Patriots’ 11 draftees gave during either their conference call or other media appearances over the weekend.
Will Campbell is ready to protect Drake Maye
The Patriots’ top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft seemed to win over a lot of New England just moments after he was announced as the No. 4 overall pick. In an interview with NFL Network’s Jamie Erdahl, Will Campbell held back tears as he was asked what kind of tone he would set to help protect Drake Maye.
“I’m gonna fight and die to protect them with everything I’ve got,” Campbell replied.
Campbell’s message certainly resonated with Maye.
“Love this guy already,” Maye wrote with a fire emoji in a social media post reacting to the clip. “LFG.”
TreVeyon Henderson was surprised the Patriots drafted him
While there were rumors of the Patriots taking a running back at some point in the 2025 NFL Draft, some were caught a bit off guard that they used their early second-round pick on one. TreVeyon Henderson was among that group.
“I think I only did one Zoom meeting with the running backs coach [Tony Dews],” Henderson told reporters of his pre-draft meetings with the Patriots. “Other than that, I had no clue that New England was going to be the spot. It was definitely a surprise for me.”
Henderson didn’t recall when exactly his meeting with the Patriots was, estimating that it was some time after the combine.
“It was more just getting to know your background, seeing how well do you know ball, and how fast can you pick up the system,” Henderson said. “I believe I did a pretty good job, you know. If I did a bad job, I don’t know if they would have picked me, so I think I did a good job.”
Patriots executive director of player personnel Eliot Wolf actually disputed Henderson’s claim that the team only met with the running back once before selecting him. He shared that Patriots wide receivers coach Todd Downing met with Henderson at Ohio State’s facilities.
“We’ll have to talk to Todd, maybe he wasn’t wearing his Patriots shirt,” Wolf quipped.
Kyle Williams didn’t know Mike Vrabel was a linebacker
The Patriots’ first third-round pick was too young to remember Mike Vrabel’s playing days, being born after New England’s first Super Bowl title. As he was impressed by the Patriots head coach during visit with the team in Foxborough before the draft, Williams admitted that he didn’t fully know his new head coach’s background.
“I loved him, you know. Big dude,” Williams told reporters of Vrabel. “I had mistaken him for an O-lineman, but he was a linebacker. In my opinion, he could have went to the NBA, but a dude that— he loves the game. You can hear it in his voice, the passion that he comes with, you know he is a man of standards. He wants to work, and that’s what I can come in and help bring to the organization.”
Jared Wilson has an affinity for a certain kind of animal
As we’re getting to know each of the Patriots’ draft picks, Wilson was straight up asked to share a fun fact about himself during his conference call with reporters late Friday.
“I’ll give you one thing, I like snakes,” Wilson said. “I don’t think a lot of people know that, but I love snakes. When I was 12, my 12th birthday, I think my mom got me a ball python that I had for about maybe six-to-seven months and then we were moving in with our granddad and he was like, ‘Yeah no, that’s not coming in my house,’ and I begged him for about a week and I just had to give it away.”
Now that he’s set to get an NFL paycheck that will be worth over $5 million in total value, maybe the former Georgia center can get some snakes again.
Craig Woodson admits the Patriots were one of the few teams seriously interested in him
The Patriots took Woodson, a safety out of Cal, early in the fourth round of the NFL Draft, with NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah believing that he’s good enough of a prospect to potentially be a starter as a rookie. However, Woodson admitted that the Patriots were one of the few teams to show great interest in him prior to the draft.
“The Patriots were my only formal interview at the Combine,” Woodson said. “That was one thing that really stuck out to me. Once they brought me in on a 30-visit, everything was just great. The staff was great. Coaches were great. It was just good vibes there. I think that, me coming in, it’s going to feel good, you know? Even though it is far from Texas and California. I’m coming in, I’m ready. I’m ready to work with that coaching staff and even the guys on the team.”
Joshua Farmer will arrive to Foxborough with a chip on his shoulder
Farmer, a defensive out of Florida State, got to meet Milton Williams when he visited with the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in March. He showed a picture he took with the highest-paid player in Patriots history when he spoke with reporters on Saturday, saying Williams inspired him.
That isn’t the only thing inspiring Farmer, though. He kept count of how many defensive tackles (16) were picked before the Patriots drafted him late in the fourth round.
“I was coming down with that anyway, but yeah, it grew bigger,” Farmer said of having a chip on his shoulder. “I’m in the right situation. Me and Milton and Christian [Barmore]. We got some dogs now. It’s not going to be the same. We should be bringing back the old New England.”
Bradyn Swinson carries a football with him at all times
Swinson saw his NFL dreams come to reality on Saturday when the Patriots took him early in the fifth round. The former LSU defensive end might have willed those dreams into reality, as he said he carried a football with him wherever he went as he wanted to carry his dream everywhere.
That idea was inspired by a former LSU teammate of Swinson’s as he’s in search of a Patriots ball to carry around to replace his Commanders one.
“I got it from Jayden Daniels, because Jayden Daniels used to carry his dream everywhere,” Swinson explained. “You always want to carry your dream everywhere. I started doing it my last year at LSU, carrying it around with me everywhere. When I go to the grocery store and I go to the mall, go anywhere, I have a ball with me. Keeping the ball close. I just believe the ball is the program.
“When I started doing that, got to game days, everything started getting surreal. When you start punching the ball out of you, you’re used to seeing the ball. When you holding the ball so much, you get to know the different spots on the ball.”
Swinson admitted that he’s gotten some looks from strange when he carries a football with him in public, but he doesn’t seem to care.
“I always get some type of reaction. They always look at me like I’m crazy,” Swinson said. “Like, ‘OK, yeah, you must be obsessed or something.’ They’ll be like, ‘Is that your child or something?’ I just always have it. Bring it to the pool. Bring it anywhere.”
Andres Borregales explained his kicking approach
The Patriots made Borregales the first kicker selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, selecting him in the sixth round. The University of Miami product was one of the top kickers in college football over the last two years, earning two straight first-team All-ACC nods.
So, what goes into being a good kicker, Borregales?
“Really, it just comes down to short-term memory,” Borregales said on his approach to kicking. “If you miss one, OK, so be it, on to the next, and just continue that streak. Even if it is a game-winning kick, celebrate for a time because you got to enjoy the good times too. The very next day, now it’s time to get back to work because you never know what comes in the future. As a kicker, I had this saying. It’s a, ‘one shot, one kill’ mentality. You get one shot just to make a field goal.”
Marcus Bryant, future acting star?
Missouri football fans grew accustomed to seeing Bryant on their TV outside of games this past season. The offensive tackle, who was selected by the Patriots in the seventh round, appeared in multiple commercials this past season.
“I got a commercial deal in Missouri. I got it from a connection from where I transferred from SMU. It was a really good deal,” Bryant said of his commercial appearances. “We had fun during the commercial. I have a history of trying to become an actor. I’ve actually been working on that since I was a little kid. I don’t know what the future holds with acting and stuff. If the opportunity comes, then I’ll be ready for that.”
Julian Ashby shared what makes him a strong long snapper
Ashby, who played at Vanderbilt last season, became the first long snapper drafted in four years when the Patriots selected him in the sixth round. So, considering how tough it is for players at his position to get drafted, Ashby thinks he has a sense of what he’s done right to be a long snapper in the NFL.
“I think for me, dependability’s always been the word,” Ashby said. “That’s staying healthy and staying available, but it’s also doing the job well so that a coach can worry about scheme and the rest of the game, rather than the actual operation of a punt or a kick or whatever it is that’s going on.
“Showing up every day, doing what I’m told and making my coaches, kicker and my punter’s job as easy as possible. If you can do that, then you can have success as a snapper.”
Kobee Minor embracing being Mr. Irrelevant
The Patriots made Minor “Mr. Irrelevant” on Saturday, taking the Memphis cornerback with the 257th and final pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. Being the last player picked isn’t a new position for Minor to be in.
“I love it because I’ve never been a highly recruited guy,” Minor said. “I’ve never been one of the top guys. So, really this isn’t anything new to me. I’m going to just go out here and do what I got to do, put my head down and grind, like I’ve always have.”
Now, Minor is hoping that being “Mr. Irrelevant” will spark his career.
“It’s just fuel to my fire,” Minor said. “I’m going to just continue to work and I’m excited for this opportunity.”
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