One observation from each Patriots draft pick from spring practices

In the immediate aftermath of the 2025 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots' class was widely viewed as one of the best across the league. Of course, for the class to live up to that billing they'll have to perform on the field.

While they have a long way to go, we got our first look at them on the field over the past few weeks between rookie minicamp, OTAs, and then mandatory minicamp. That included 12 total practices, six of which were open to the media.

What early notes can we take away from those sessions? Here's one thought on each Patriots draft pick from the spring...

Pre-draft discourse included some suggesting Campbell would have to move inside to guard in the NFL, if not right away at some point early on in his career. For now, the Patriots haven't entertained that.

In team drills, Campbell stuck at left tackle and did not move inside to guard during any of the open practices this spring. Assuming that was also the case for the closed practices it seems like the Patriots are fully developing Campbell as a left tackle. That doesn't mean he couldn't move inside to guard at some point down the road, but right now the team seems to have a singular plan for him at tackle.

Speed and acceleration are two traits that are obviously talked about a lot leading up to the NFL Draft. Sometimes though, seeing players move in person can show just how much they separate from their peers in those areas.

That was my impression of Henderson this spring. His top gear - and how quickly he can get to it - was immediately apparent. His movement skills just look different than most players, and he looks like he'll be in the conversation as the fastest skill position player on the team. His ability to get to the top speed right away, plus his field vision, could make him a weapon especially on screen plays where he has a chance to identify a hole, accelerate in open space, and then burst through it.

Part of what stood out about Williams leading up to the draft was his ability to win from multiple alignments on offense. That was after he played a career-high 25.3% of his snaps in the slot last year. That kind of versatility usually plays well in Josh McDaniels' offenses.

We saw Williams move around in the spring but he got a good amount of time at the 'X' position. While he's a bit undersized for a traditional 'X' at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds McDaniels has had success with smaller players in that spot before (the most notable example being Brandin Cooks in 2017) and Williams' quick release package should help him adjust.

We didn't see much from Wilson this spring, as he was limited throughout OTAs and Minicamp and didn't participate in any team drills. ESPN's Mike Reiss later reported he's working through an undisclosed injury.

As Mike Vrabel pointed out during OTAs, it's tough to give offensive linemen a full look in non-padded practices, so Wilson will have a chance to catch up if he gets cleared by the start of training camp. Him not taking part in team drills though adds further uncertainty to the position battles on the offensive line - both at his natural position of center and at left guard, where they team may work him as well.

The Woodson pick seemed to draw the most questions of any of the 11 picks the Patriots made back in April. However this spring he got off to a great start and one of the more standout players on the defense.

What made Woodson's spring successful was seeing how often he seemed to be in the right place at the right time. He showed strong football instincts - something that was also an early indicator for Kyle Dugger when he made the jump to the NFL.

Woodson will next have to prove he can play just as fast when the tempo of the plays speeds up in padded practices. It will also be interesting to see his role become more defined once Dugger is back in action after the veteran safety was limited throughout the spring as he recovers from an injury.

Farmer's run defense was his carrying trait in the draft, but he showed up in the pass game this spring. It wasn't about creating pressure, but getting his hands on the football.

There were a couple of practices where Farmer batted multiple passes batted down at the line. At 6-foot-3, 314 pounds with 35 1/4-inch arms and 10 1/2-inch hands Farmer can create a wide radius, and used that to his advantage this spring. Farmer had two PBUs in his four-year college career (per Sports Reference), both coming in 2023.

Many of the Patriots' top draft picks slot into positions where the team needs help immediately. That's not as much the case for Swinson, who enters an edge room that saw multiple veteran additions this offseason.

There's depth at the top with free agent signings Harold Landry and K'Lavon Chaisson working with returning Keion White. That seems to be the main group right now, so Swinson might have to work his way up the depth chart in camp for extended playing time early.

After missing one kick during the first open OTA session, Borregales hit every single field goal in front of the media from there on out. He finished the spring 19-of-20 in open practice sessions. Of course there's still a long way to go and the pressure is only going to increase in real games, but so far he's done what would be expected of the top kicker taken in the draft.

The real first thing that stands out about Bryant is his size. He's listed at 6-foot-7, 320 pounds but might actually be bigger than that. He got some work at both left and right tackle, so the team could be developing him as a true swing tackle after he spent time at both positions in college.

Between Borregales and John Parker Romo, Ashby snapped for 40 field goals in the spring without any clear misses. He also spent time working off to the side with punter Bryce Baringer, where it looked like he was honing his placement.

Minor is another player who comes into a competitive position room in New England. He'll be competing with a group including Isaiah Bolden, Marcellas Dial, Miles Battle, and others for the final corner spot or spots. Odds are that role is going to be mostly special teams-based, so if Minor wants to make a roster push he'll need to have a strong showing in the kicking game throughout the spring.