What Mike Vrabel’s NFL draft absence means for the Patriots on Day 3
· Yahoo Sports
The New England Patriots held 11 picks entering the 2026 NFL Draft. At the start of the second round, seven of them were scheduled for Rounds 4-7.
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Head coach Mike Vrabel will not be with the team for Day 3, on April 25, as he “begins to seek counseling” and spends time with his family amid the public drama involving himself and former Athletic NFL reporter Dianna Russini. After the New York Post published photos April 7 of the two at a private Arizona resort – one photo showed the two interlocking fingers and another featured them hugging on a rooftop – the outlet’s “Page Six” column released more purporting to show photos of the two at a New York bar in March 2020.
“The stability of him as a person, some of the leadership, some of the presence,” Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said when asked about what the organization will be missing without Vrabel in the draft war room.
The final day of the draft is also vital in securing a team’s desired undrafted free agent class.
“He does a nice job with the undrafted players for us, obviously he’s a tremendous recruiter, so maybe that’s something that we’ll be missing,” Wolf said. “But again, we’re very confident with the people that we have, with the process. The assistant coaches have done a tremendous job, as have the scouts, preparing for day three. And we’re excited about it.”
Vrabel addressed reporters on April 21 and April 23. During the second news conference – Vrabel only took four questions after issuing a statement less than three minutes long two days earlier – the 2025 Coach of the Year confirmed he would not be with the team Saturday.
"My priorities are my family and this football team – in that order. And there is a balance there that I am going to create," Vrabel said. "My family needs me this weekend, and that's where I'll be.”
The Patriots issued a statement of support concerning Vrabel’s decision to seek counseling and prioritize his family – but the team did not acknowledge the new batch of photos. Wolf referred to the statement while saying they are not “too worried” about Vrabel’s absence.
“As far as the work is concerned on Saturday, not too worried about that, just as far as the process that we have in place, the people we have in place,” he said. “It’s gonna be different without his presence there, but we feel really good about the people that we have in place to make up for it.”
The Patriots will be able to contact Vrabel, who will have final say on picks, Wolf confirmed.
Vrabel said he is confident in Wolf and his staff to handle the third day of the draft but was unsure whether he'd miss additional time.
"When you prioritize your family first and your job that's what's required," Vrabel said. "That's what was necessary."
In a statement he released shortly after the first batch of photos was published, Vrabel said any insinuation of an inappropriate relationship was “laughable.” Asked what changed, Vrabel said it was an attempt to protect his family.
Vrabel is not under league investigation, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed April 23. Goodell called it a “personal matter.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mike Vrabel is skipping Day 3 of the NFL draft after more Russini photos