FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and the NFL:
1. Rare rookie center: University of Georgia offensive line coach Stacy Searels is a 30-year veteran in the college ranks, and when it comes to third-round draft pick Jared Wilson, he leaned on his coaching history to explain why the Patriots might have found a long-term answer at a critical position.
“I’ve had nine or 10 centers go and play in the NFL, and Jared is the most athletic of any of them,” Searels told ESPN. “He has the tools to really be good.”
Wilson’s athleticism was on display at the NFL combine in February when he was timed at 4.84 seconds in the 40-yard dash, easily the fastest among the prospects at the position. Searels also reflected on a game against Tennessee when the Bulldogs ran a toss to the left and Wilson’s agile movement allowed him to reach the safety along the sideline and deliver a crushing block.
How quickly 6-foot-3, 310-pound Wilson might be able to do the same in New England — at center or left guard — is among the notable questions surrounding the team leading into the first practice of training camp July 23.
Arguably nothing is more important than providing solid infrastructure around quarterback Drake Maye, and the offensive line has been shaky in recent seasons. Last year, the Patriots ranked 31st in pass block win rate, according to ESPN Analytics, with that coming one season after they were last in the NFL.
Former Tennessee Titans center Ben Jones is among those Searels has coached, and Jones was a key pillar for first-year Patriots coach Mike Vrabel from 2018 to 2022. Searles had also recruited former Patriots center David Andrews to Georgia but never coached him there after leaving for Texas in 2011. Jones and Andrews were among the smartest centers in the NFL — another key aspect of the position.
“I think that connection is going to be huge for Jared. The relationship he’ll have with Ben and David — keep passing the torch for guys that will go and play in that league,” Searels said.
“It’s not easy when you have the ball in your hand, a 330-pound nose guard is on top of you, and you see that safety rolling down in protection. I think Jared has the ability to understand line assignments and what the defense is doing, their tendencies, and being able to get you in the right call.”
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If Wilson’s career takes a similar path as those of Jones and Andrews, it would be a coup for the Patriots, whose roster potentially allows them not to rush him into the mix.
Seven-year veteran Garrett Bradbury (6-3, 300) is projected as the starting center after the Minnesota Vikings released him in March as they eyed a sturdier presence, particularly against bigger-bodied defensive tackles. Meanwhile, 2022 first-round pick Cole Strange finished the spring as the top left guard — a position in which the Patriots rotated multiple players, including recently retired Wes Schweitzer.
As for Wilson, who missed two games last season due to a foot sprain and also sat out the Senior Bowl, he had a quiet spring during which he mostly watched from the side. Thus, one of the first hurdles for him to clear when rookies report for training camp July 19 is avoiding the physically unable to perform list.
Once Wilson practices, the Patriots might have a similar decision to make as Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who was reluctant to play Wilson at guard in 2023 games. Wilson was also the No. 2 center at the time, and Smart wanted to avoid the possibility of losing his starting and backup centers to injury by playing them together.
That explains, in part, why Wilson has just one season of starting experience on his college résumé — all in 2024. That was also likely a factor in Wilson lasting until pick No. 77 of the draft.
“He can be a multi-positional player. I do think as a pulling guard, he will be excellent,” said Searels, who also noted that Wilson practiced at tackle one spring. “He can anchor, run in space, get moving, play with leverage, and he has big, strong hands [11 inches]. I think that’s so critical in offensive line play.”
After selecting Wilson, Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said he believes center is “ultimately going to be his best position,” but didn’t rule out the possibility of working him into the mix at left guard if Vrabel and his staff believed that was best for the team.
Searels, who blocked for Bo Jackson as a three-year starter for Auburn’s offensive line in the 1980s, first recruited Wilson as a sophomore at West Forsyth High School in North Carolina, when Searels was serving as an assistant at the University of North Carolina.
He’s excited about what’s ahead for Wilson.
“He can be the face of the program in the fact that he’s such a good kid. He takes it from his mom,” he said. “Great smile. Great attitude. He’s passionate about what he wants to do.”
Before training camp, Patriots QB Drake Maye leads @FlexWorkSports camp … and receives a warm welcome.
In a media interview, Maye shared his excitement for the team’s first practice July 23 and time spent this past week with teammates. pic.twitter.com/rWwAyJ0XO3
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) July 11, 2025
2. Maye on bonding: Maye told ESPN on Friday that he enjoyed the work with teammates Stefon Diggs, Kendrick Bourne, DeMario “Pop” Douglas, Hunter Henry, Ja’Lynn Polk, Kyle Williams, Joshua Dobbs and Rhamondre Stevenson, among others, last week in North Carolina.
He said they focused on specific routes on the field, which players shared on social media, but Maye also highlighted other aspects of their three-plus days together.
“I think the bonding is more important than, really, the football,” he said at his FlexWork football camp for kids in Foxborough. “Just have some dinner, and time in the pool and lake. It was a good time.”
Maye married longtime girlfriend Ann Michael Hudson in June, and attended Wimbledon, before meeting up with teammates in his home state. He reports to training camp this week — quarterbacks and rehabilitating players do so earlier than the rest of the veterans — and looked refreshed at the camp attended by 400 to 500 kids.
As far as what he’s looking forward to as training camp approaches, he said: “Just seeing the guys. It’s been about a month. Ready to get back to work and games. We’re two months out now [from the regular season]. It’s coming closer. So getting back to the guys and building the bond and culture.”
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3. Tavai clocks in: Seven-year veteran Jahlani Tavai, who is among the candidates to start next to middle linebacker Robert Spillane, has been one of the few players who mostly stayed in New England since the end of mandatory minicamp in June.
Tavai has been rehabilitating a calf injury in hopes of being ready for the start of training camp. Tavai’s projected top competition for the job comes from Christian Elliss and Jack Gibbens.
4. Camp schedule: Last year’s training camp practices under coach Jerod Mayo mostly began at 11 a.m. Vrabel is electing for an earlier start this year, with most sessions beginning at 10:15 a.m.
One other addition to the previously announced camp schedule: Season-ticket holders and Foxborough residents have a ticketed practice Aug. 1, a Friday, inside Gillette Stadium (5:30 p.m. ET).
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5. Minkins’ gesture: Undrafted free agent safety Josh Minkins (Louisville/Cincinnati), who faces longer odds to earn a roster spot, showed the powerful platform NFL players have when he hosted a free football camp for 500 kids in his native Louisville on July 5.
That led Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, in a surprise to Minkins, to officially declare July 5 “Josh Minkins Jr. Day” in the city.
6. Did You Know? Robert Spillane wears No. 14 in honor of his grandfather, Johnny Lattner, who wore that number and won the Heisman Trophy in 1953 as a running back for Notre Dame.
