With Mike Vrabel absent for counseling, Patriots pick 6 players on final day of NFL draft

Patriots coach Mike Vrabel fulfilled his pledge to be away from the team's draft room on Saturday for what he said was to begin counseling after photos were published recently of him with longtime NFL reporter Dianna Russini at an Arizona resort. Vrabel said he took accountability for his actions that created distractions after those photos — and others of him and Russini — were made public. He did not address specifics while saying his actions fell short of his standards and that he needed to prioritize his family. Vice president of football operations Eliot Wolf had the final say on the six picks New England made in Vrabel's absence. Wolf said Vrabel had a short message to members of the front office before he left after Friday's third round. “Just words of encouragement,” Wolf said. “He knows our process. We talked about what kind of players we needed to add. We knew what kind of players that he liked. Obviously we drafted some of the guys he had an affinity for today.” During the first two days of the draft, Vrabel was seen in videos released by the team congratulating picks in phone calls and celebrating with fellow team personnel. Coming off a loss in the Super Bowl, the Patriots had two key goals when the draft began: beefing up the edges of the offensive line to protect quarterback Drake Maye and adding some athleticism on the outside defensively. They took big swings in addressing both needs, selecting Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu in the first round and Illinois edge rusher Gabe Jacas in the second round. In both cases, the Patriots traded up to ensure they got their targets. New England had the 31st pick in each of the first three rounds. The Patriots moved up three spots and traded an extra pick to division rival Buffalo to grab Lomu. They traded up eight spots, sending fourth- and sixth-round picks to the Los Angeles Chargers to get Jacas. They stood pat in the third round and took 6-foot-6, 245-pound tight end Eli Raridon of Notre Dame. Ultimately, the Patriots drafted nine players. Their selections on Saturday: Wake Forest cornerback Karon Prunty (fifth round), Texas A&M offensive tackle Dametrious Crownover (sixth), TCU linebacker Namdi Obiazor (sixth), Texas A&M quarterback (seventh), Alabama running back Jam Miller (seventh) and Boston College edge rusher Quintayvious Hutchins (seventh). New England entered the draft with 11 picks and Wolf was prepared to shed a few in order to move up the board. “With Caleb and with Gabe, we did not think that they were going to be there when we got them,” Wolf said.