The scouting trail for the 2026 NFL Draft took Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel right down the road to Chestnut Hill, with Vrabel attending Boston College's Pro Day on Monday.

New England's head coach and several other Patriots staffers were on hand to support Boston College head coach Bill O'Brien. The former Pats offensive coordinator is a longtime friend of Vrabel's, and he gave Vrabel his first NFL coaching gig as O'Brien's linebackers coach with the Texans in 2014. Along with Vrabel, VP of Player Personnel Ryan Cowden, college scouting director Tony Kinkela, personnel coordinator Brian Smith, offensive line coach Doug Marrone, and outside linebackers coach Mike Smith were also in attendance.

Speaking to reporters after the workout, O'Brien immediately pointed to Vrabel and the Patriots presence at the Pro Day, with 28 other teams also attending Boston College's showcase.

"Obviously, the Patriots are here with Coach Vrabel," O'Brien said. "Mike's done an unbelievable job at the Patriots in a very short time, turning that around. We try to recruit guys that are tough, that are smart, that are dependable, and I think those are the types of guys that he's looking for in his team. We're hoping there's a little bit of a pipeline."

Although the Patriots didn't draft any of the five Eagles who were selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, former Boston College OL Jack Conley was in training camp in New England and had a stint on the Patriots practice squad last season. In this draft cycle, there are four BC products that might be of interest to the Patriots: OT Jude Bowry, WR Lewis Bond, EDGE Quintayvious Hutchins, and T/G Logan Taylor, who are all projected as day-three picks.

On Monday, all four Boston College projected draft picks received hands-on coaching from New England's staff. Patriots personnel coordinator Brian Smith ran the Pro Day, while Marrone and Mike Smith ran the on-field drills for their respective position groups. Vrabel was involved as well, chatting with the BC prospects off to the side and offering coaching tips during the workout inside Fish Fieldhouse.

After spending the afternoon on campus with the BC and Pats worlds colliding, here are some more notes from Monday's Pro Day workout at Boston College.

WR Lewis Bond Runs a 4.58s 40-Yard Dash at Boston College's Pro Day

Bond was one of the biggest snubs in this year's class when Boston College's all-time receptions leader didn't get invited to the NFL Scouting Combine last month. For an ACC program, Bond not receiving an invite to the combine after breaking Zay Flowers' school record with 213 career receptions raised eyebrows.

O'Brien explained that Bond's role was very similar to the chain-moving slot receivers in Patriots history, noting that Patriots Hall of Famer Julian Edelman also didn't attend the combine. On Monday, Bond ran a 4.58-second 40-yard dash, according to scouts in attendance. Bond's agility drills also received some praise from onlookers, with his field work showcasing crisp route-running to separate quickly on juke, return, slant, and option-style routes that O'Brien said made him a third-down machine.

Bond has the quickness to create first-level separation, but his top-end speed is a concern in his scouting report, with questions about his ability to threaten corners vertically (slot fades) or horizontally stretch the field on crossing routes. At 5-11, 190 pounds, Bond has decent size for an inside receiver, but his straight-line speed presents concerns about his ability to play on the outside and make corners uncomfortable. If a corner doesn't respect a receiver's ability to run by them, defenders will sit on those shorter routes.

Based on the times recorded by scouts in attendance on Monday, Bond's athletic testing numbers should be enough to get him drafted on day three. In 2009, Edelman's estimated 40-yard dash was 4.52 seconds at his Pro Day, and Bond's speed was on par with other quick-twitch slots such as Danny Amendola (4.58s) and Wes Welker (4.65s). After concluding his workout, Bond took some time to chat with Vrabel.

"Great guy. He kind of reminded me of Coach O'Brien a little bit. All about football, smart, knows football, and is very disciplined. They both lead that way," Bond said of Vrabel.

From a Patriots perspective, the question is whether Bond offers something different from second-year slot receiver Efton Chism III. Fourth-year wideout DeMario Douglas is more of a speed-slot who can separate vertically and sound alarm bells for corners with his speed. Although he has a different skillset from Bond and Chism, Douglas entering the final year of his rookie contract leaves the door open for competition at slot receiver in the near future.

OT Judy Bowry Discusses Connections with the Patriots Coaching Staff

As the projected top prospect at Boston College's Pro Day, Bowry is a highly athletic offensive tackle who could sneak into the top-100 in next month's draft after a stellar combine workout. The Eagles left tackle posted a 9.45 relative athletic score out of 10 in Indy, eighth-best among the tackles in this year's class. On film, Bowry is a springy mover out of his stance, with great range in the run/screen game and the ability to meet pass-rushers at the top of their rush to pass protect on an island at left tackle.

Bowry has been working with Patriots Hall of Famer Dante Scarnecchia during the pre-draft process, was coached by Marrone at Boston College, and received some hands-on coaching from Vrabel during Monday's workout. Bowry mentioned that the Pats have connected with him throughout the process, with New England potentially selecting a tackle to develop behind 35-year-old RT Morgan Moses, while backing up Moses and starting LT Will Campbell next season after top backup Vederian Lowe left in free agency.

"Coach Scar is great, man. It's great to work with him. He's a legend. He's helped me a lot with my punch and just being a better overall player. He has seen the game in many ways and I just appreciate everything he has done," Bowry told reporters. "Coach Marrone, just like Coach Scar, two great minds of football. It's great to be around him again. Great to see him. I've seen him throughout this whole process."

Bowry also mentioned that Vrabel was helping him with his technique during his on-field workout, where he showed good explosiveness in his movement blocks and a sturdy anchor, both of which are his calling cards. Bowry continues to work on improving his punch timing in pass protection, with some seasoning needed to secure his outside hand and keep speed-to-power rushers from going through his punch for pressures. Bowry added that he's repping at both left and right tackle in training as he prepares for the NFL.

Along with Bowry, versatile offensive lineman Logan Taylor is another BC product who could be a day-three draft pick. Taylor has started games at every spot on the offensive line besides center. He has a higher-cut frame (6-7, 314) and doesn't bend particularly well, but he projects as a high-end backup or potential spot-starter with positional flexibility. Taylor also took some time to chat with Vrabel during Monday's workout.

Vrabel 'Tests' Boston College EDGE Quintayvious Hutchins During Workout

Hutchins is another prospect from the Boston College pipeline who will likely hear his name called on day three, and he plays a position of need for the Patriots. New England's top brass has indicated that it views edge rusher as a need, with the Patriots signing veteran Dre'Mont Jones in free agency earlier this month.

The Pats have kept tabs on the EDGE class throughout the process, including on Monday, when Vrabel and Smith were in the middle of Hutchins' workout. At one point, Hutchins and Vrabel were locked up in a leveraging drill, where Hutchins threw a punch into Vrabel's chest like the Patriots head coach was a blocker lined up across from him. Along with giving him some technique tips, Hutchins admitted that he took it as Vrabel testing his play strength.

"He was talking to me about my hand placement, like the strain, the strike, and stuff like that," Hutchins said. "Low-key, I did [think Vrabel was testing Hutchins]. But that's what I wanted to happen to where it seemed like he's comfortable with my strength as a player. I didn't mind it."

Hutchins, who posted a pedestrian 5.85 relative athletic score (out of 10), said he wanted to test better at his Pro Day. The Boston College product has great bend and an effective spin counter as a pass rusher, while also being a solid edge-setter vs. the run for a lighter prospect (6-3, 233 pounds). From this perspective, he plays the position like a Patriots edge rusher, winning more often as a speed-rusher outside the tackle. Hutchins could be a potential target in the fifth or sixth round next month.

Overall, it was a successful day for the Boston College football program, which continues to produce draftable talent out of Chestnut Hill; possibly by the Patriots.

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