Head Coach Mike Vrabel, Patriots Staffers Scout NFL Draft Prospects at Boston College’s Pro Day 

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.