In the weeks leading up to this year's NFL draft, chatter has lingered surrounding the New England Patriots and their chances to make some movement around the board, and most notably, potentially trading down from their number-four pick.
It's an intriguing scenario to draw up, and one that the Patriots could see themselves involved in if opposing teams are willing to move up the board into the top five, effectively providing some additional assets in return for New England to use at their disposal.
But when asking Mike Vrabel, it might be a bit too early for the Patriots to dive into any of those trade discussions just yet.
In just over a week from the draft, Vrabel was questioned on whether the Patriots have gotten trade interest for their number-four pick, noting that the timeline for any talks still stands a bit further out.
"Well, I'd say it's probably a little early for that," Vrabel said. "In my experience, probably a little early for those conversations. A lot of those happen next week as we get a little closer to the draft. I think there's still some preparation and some managing that goes on, and the coaches' reports. It's probably a little early for some of those conversations to happen."
It's hard to see the Patriots shooting down the opportunity of a trade-down scenario if the right opportunity were presented. Especially if blue-chip prospects like Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter are off the board, or if an opposing team is heavily interested in moving up for a quarterback, the stage might be set for New England to shift down a few spots.
Yet, even if such a deal were to come to form for New England, Vrabel sees those decisions happening closer to draft night when they're officially on the clock. If the right prospect falls in their lap, the Patriots can run to the podium with their pick, but if not, the phones can open up for business.
