With the NFL Scouting Combine in the books, now is as good a time as any for us to take what we've learned and find sensible fits in this year’s draft for head coach Mike Vrabel's program. 

Since the start of the new league year is on the horizon -- free agency officially opens next week -- the Patriots' needs will change between now and the end of April. Opinions will shift. Draft grades will be finalized. 

But consider this mock draft as both A) an introduction to a handful of names that could be relevant to Patriots fans next month, as well as B) a thought exercise on how to handle the draft when a draft class is shaped the way this one is. 

Unfortunately for the Patriots, this is not the year to need an offensive tackle or a wideout at the top of the draft. And yet, we'll get things started here with Vrabel taking one of those two with the No. 4 overall pick...

First round, No. 4 overall: Will Campbell, OT, LSU

First things first: The Patriots have to be ready to make a pick here. 

If Penn State's Abdul Carter and Colorado's Travis Hunter are off the board -- as they are in this scenario -- there's no guarantee Vrabel and Co. are going to find a willing trade partner to move back and add to their coffer of draft picks.

Just about any player taken here outside of those two consensus blue-chip non-quarterbacks will be viewed as a "reach." That is the unfortunate reality for New England. And if no team is clamoring to trade up for Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the Patriots will have to swallow hard and take the best player for them.

The sense I get from NFL evaluators is that the best player for them very well could be Campbell. Still. Despite the length of his arms.

The 6-foot-6, 319-pounder had arms that measured just 32 5/8 inches at this year's combine, and yet multiple league sources who spoke to NBC Sports Boston this week still consider Campbell a tackle. He was a three-year starter for the Tigers, regularly stoning some of the best pass-rushers in the country with a combination of strength, athleticism, effort and technique. For them, tackle remains the position he should be given the opportunity to play at the next level.

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Barring the signing of free-agent tackle Ronnie Stanley, Campbell would fill arguably the team's most glaring need at left tackle. But as the team's first Round 1 pick of the Vrabel regime, Campbell would also be a statement selection.

The Patriots need leaders who love football -- high-level athletes with high-end work ethic and passion for the game. That's Campbell, who showed real leadership traits not only at LSU but also throughout the week as linemen were put through the paces together in Indianapolis, according to scouts at the combine.

As for his arm length, it's not ideal. Clearly. His wingspan is the shortest measured for a tackle at the combine in the last 15 years. And if the Patriots could trade down and still land Campbell, that would make the selection more palatable in the eyes of some. 

But what Campbell has put on tape, the type of athlete he has proven to be, and the kind of intangible qualities he'd bring to a locker room that's been lacking in that regard? They all make him a worthwhile pick here for a coach who is going to value quality leaders and quality performance in the best conference in college football. 

Second round, No. 38: Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State

The Patriots still need a receiver who can play on the outside, provide Drake Maye with a sizable target who can win in contested situations, and man the "X" role that has been a revolving door of mediocre and worse in recent seasons.

Enter Higgins, who checked in at 6-foot-4, 214 pounds at the combine and tested as a high-level mover. He recorded a Relative Athletic Score of 9.87 out of 10 thanks to some tremendous jumps (39-inch vertical, 10-foot-8 broad) and a 4.47-second 40-yard dash.

Higgins also put together an impressive Senior Bowl, flashing the kind of body control and sudden hands that helped him catch 87 passes for 1,183 yards at Iowa State last season.

Higgins is more angular that the more powerfully-built AJ Brown, who was a second-round pick of the Titans when Vrabel was head coach there in 2019. But Higgins is a physical route-runner who knows how to create separation and compete at the catch point.

In a draft class short on big-bodied wideouts, Higgins is one of the best.

Third round, No. 69: Ozzy Trapilo, OT, Boston College

After taking their left tackle of the future in the first round, the Patriots in this scenario add some further bulk to their offensive line group by taking a right tackle option in Trapilo.

The Boston College (and BC High) product has excellent size at 6-foot-8, 316 pounds, and he has the benefit of having worked under both Bill O'Brien and Doug Marrone for the Eagles. Marrone is now the offensive line coach in New England, and O'Brien is close friends with Vrabel.

If they give the sign-off on Trapilo, one would think Vrabel would be comfortable adding him at this stage of the draft.

Trapilo is also training with legendary offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia in the build-up to the draft, which could help make him a ready-made option for Josh McDaniels if the Patriots have a need on the right side come training camp.

Third round, No. 77 (via Atlanta): Jordan Phillips, DT, Maryland

Trenches, trenches, trenches.

The Patriots need to buttress both lines of scrimmage this offseason. Particularly after allowing Davon Godchaux to seek a trade, adding strong players on defense who also have the ability to violently tear up the field would have value. Phillips fits that bill.

He possesses a squatty build at 6-foot-2, 312 pounds, but he's renowned for his on-field motor and leadership qualities. Phillips is a high-school wrestler and a big fan of the weight room, making The Athletic's Freaks List thanks to a 665-pound squat and a 365-pound overhead press.

As a nose tackle with some versatility to play multiple techniques along the line, Phillips has the power and grit to handle myriad responsibilities for Vrabel and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams.

Fourth round, No. 107: Nohl Williams, CB, California

Williams possesses good size (6-feet, 199 pounds), ball skills (seven picks in 2024) and a knack for finding the end zone (two defensive touchdowns in 2023, kick-return touchdown and pick-six in 2024). He was also identified on the Next Pats Podcast by The Athletic's Dane Brugler as having the kind of blue-collar attitude Vrabel would appreciate. 

"This guy mixes it up," Brugler said, "he loves to get physical... Williams will not be out-physicalled, he will not take any stuff from a receiver. It shows up on tape and it shows up in his coverage."

Fifth round, No. 143: Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson

Our pal Tom E. Curran has said many times this offseason that Mike Vrabel needs to find some Mike Vrabels this offseason.

That's not Carter, at least not from a physical standpoint; he checked in at 6-feet and 231 pounds at the combine. But he's a hard-nosed modern-day 'backer who will compete against backs and tight ends in coverage and could function as a legitimate quarterback-spy threat as a pro.

Seventh round, No. 217 (via Tennessee): RJ Oben, Edge, Notre Dame

At 6-foot-3, 261 pounds, Oben has good size on the edge and loads of experience. He spent five seasons at Duke before transferring to Notre Dame, where he played multiple techniques along the line of scrimmage and flashed in the college football playoff.

After a solid week at the Senior Bowl where he burst into the backfield on multiple occasions in 11-on-11 work, he could warrant consideration by an edge-needy team in the later rounds.

Seventh round, No. 220: Willie Lampkin, OG, North Carolina

Two decades ago, the Chiefs turned fullback Brian Waters into an All-Pro interior offensive lineman. Any chance the Patriots would try a shift in the opposite direction with Lampkin?

At 5-foot-10, 270 pounds, Drake Maye's college teammate doesn't have the frame of an NFL lineman, but he more than held his own at the Senior Bowl with impressive power for his size. Is there any shot Vrabel would be interested in Lampkin's pitbull demeanor as a backup lineman who could align in the backfield and occasionally take on the fullback role McDaniels has so valued in the past?

Seventh round, No. 241 (via L.A. Chargers): Tyler Loop, K, Arizona

Kicker is a sneaky need in New England. Joey Slye is set to hit free agency, and the Patriots should be seeking more in the way of consistency at the position. There's also a chance the line of scrimmage awarded to receiving teams after touchbacks is moved from the 30 to the 35-yard line, which would emphasize having a kicker who can creatively hit the landing zone on a regular basis.

Loop is thought to have good leg strength (hit six of nine 50-plus attempts last season, including a 62-yarder), and he crossed over with Patriots special teams coach Jeremy Springer at Arizona in 2020.