Each year, the NFL Owners Meetings at the Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla., kick off with the Coaches Breakfast, where the league's head coaches have a lengthy conversation with reporters to start the day.
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel continued this tradition early Monday morning by holding court with the media for 34 minutes.
And he gave Patriots fans plenty to chew on.
Here are four notable quotes from Vrabel's press conference and what they tell us about New England's plans going forward:
Focus on left tackle in NFL Draft
The first question Vrabel fielded was about arguably the Patriots' biggest remaining roster need -- left tackle -- and how they plan to address it in the 2025 NFL Draft. Vrabel was asked specifically about top prospects Will Campbell (LSU) and Armand Membou (Missouri) and responded with a positive assessment of both players.
"I think they’re great young talented players that have great film," Vrabel said. "Will’s got a lot of snaps at left tackle. Membou’s played right but there’s a lot of guys that have played right and left and switch."
Campbell's relatively short arm length -- 32 5/8 inches at the NFL Combine, then 33 inches at his pro day -- has led some to question whether he can play left tackle at the NFL level. But Vrabel confirmed the Patriots view Campbell as a pure left tackle.
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"I think you have to," Vrabel said. "I don’t understand how you could watch him play in the SEC ... against guys who are going to get drafted (and not view him as a tackle). I don’t think you have to project it -- you can just watch."
Whether New England uses the No. 4 pick on Campbell remains to be seen, but it's clear Vrabel views the draft as a good place to find at least one left tackle.
"I think the draft is going to be a good option for us," Vrabel added. "There's a lot of guys in the draft that we like at a lot of different levels."
Open for business with No. 4 pick
When asked if the Patriots would consider trading their fourth overall pick, Vrabel responded with a definitive answer: The team isn't ruling anything out.
"We'd be open to everything that we felt like could help the football team. I think that's what we have to do," Vrabel said. "Whether that's stick and pick a player, or if somebody has an offer for us, I think we'd be willing to listen. But there's a lot of options that we have to consider that could help the team."
Vrabel made another interesting comment about the team's plans with the No. 4 pick; while Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said last week the team would draft the "best player available" instead of drafting for need, Vrabel softened that stance a bit Monday.
"Hopefully those two things come together and align," Vrabel said, before adding: "You tell me who goes 1-2-3 and I'll tell you who goes 4."
Where Vrabel stands on Polk and Baker
With Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins joining the wide receiver room in free agency, it's fair to wonder about the futures of Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, who both had very disappointing rookie campaigns.
Vrabel offered an encouraging outlook on Polk, noting that the second-round pick is continuing his rehab from a shoulder injury and has been in the weight room with an emphasis on working out his lower body.
"I didn’t do a whole lot of investigating about what went wrong. I’m trying to focus on what’s gonna go right," Vrabel said of both wideouts. "I know that Ja'Lynn's working hard. He's excited about being a new dad. He's working hard to rehab that shoulder. ... He's focused on what he can do as opposed to what he can't do."
Vrabel only mentioned Baker briefly, however, simply saying he's "been communicating with" the fourth-round draft pick this offseason.
The Patriots may still see upside in Polk, who caught 12 passes for 87 yards and a pair of touchdowns last season. But Baker's future might be more in doubt unless he can show dramatic improvement during the team's offseason program.
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Vrabel eyeing joint practices with Vikings, Commanders
Vrabel confirmed the Patriots have had conversations with both the Minnesota Vikings and Washington Commanders about holding joint practices this summer.
While nothing is set in stone yet, Vrabel said his goal is to host the Commanders for joint practices in Foxboro, then travel to Minnesota for joint practices with the Vikings.
"We’d love to go to Minnesota," Vrabel said. "... We practiced with them a few years ago in Tennessee. It’s a nice setup. They got a beautiful facility, there’s a hotel close by to walk to the field, and we enjoyed working with (head coach) Kevin (O'Connell) and B-Flo (defensive coordinator Brian Flores) and their team."