With NFL free agency starting to wind down, the New England Patriots have begun shifting their focus toward the upcoming draft. One big part of the preparatory process leading up to the event is inviting players to visit the team’s Gillette Stadium facility.
Those so-called “30 visits” — previously called “Top-30 visits” but the “Top-” part eventually fell out of favor in league circles — give the Patriots’ coaches and scouts an extended look at prospects. While they are not allowed to go through any on-field workouts or drills, those visits can still be a valuable piece of the puzzle and give clues at eventual intentions.
New England has now begun setting those pre-draft visits up, with the first three recently being reported as follows.
Patriots 30 visit tracker
1. LB Nick Martin (Oklahoma State): What the 5-foot-11, 221-pound Martin lacks in size, he makes up for in athleticism. Posting an 8.88 Relative Athletic Score despite his shortcomings — no pun intended — he projects as a sideline-to-sideline presence at the second level who should also be able to have an immediate impact in the kicking game. All in all, he is a raw prospect not suited for every team. | Source
2. RB Dylan Sampson (Tennessee): Despite questions about his ball security and relative one-dimensionality, Sampson projects as a potential feature back at the next level. He combines natural contact balance with an explosive athletic profile, and could get plenty of touches as an early-down option from early on in his career. | Source
3. OT Aireontae Ersery (Minnesota): Standing at 6-foot-6, 331 pounds, Ersery has the prototypical build of an NFL offensive tackle. The projected second-round selection also is a powerful player capable of moving bodies in the run game. While he is less polished as a pass protector, he has the tools to develop into a starter-level left tackle at the next level. | Source
The Patriots have shown a keen interest in all three position groups so far during the pre-draft process. Whereas Aireontae Ersery is one of nine offensive tackles linked to the team so far, the team looked at even more linebackers and running backs: a total of 10 and 12 players at the respective positions have had some sort of formal meeting with New England.
Whether or not that is indicative of any concrete plans heading toward the draft remains to be seen. When it comes to 30 visits, for example, the Patriots went just 3-of-25 in last year’s draft (they did have 30 players in, but only 25 names have ever come out).
Quarterback Drake Maye, offensive tackle Caedan Wallace and wide receiver Javon Baker were among those invited to Foxboro ahead of the 2024 draft.
