Patriots draft profile: Sione Vaki could be this year’s Marcus Jones

Vaki is one of the most versatile players in the draft this year.

The New England Patriots have always placed a premium on players being versatile: the more you can do, the more valuable you are to the overall operation. Whether that mindset remains in place in Year 1 after long-time head coach Bill Belichick will be seen, but it would be a surprise if the organization moves away from it too much.

And if the Patriots do want to invest in versatility, they may as well just go all-in and bring possibly the most positionally-flexible player in the entire draft aboard.

Hard facts

Name: Sione Vaki

Position: Safety/Running back

School: Utah

Opening day age: 23 (7/31/2001)

Measurements: 5’11 1/8”, 210 lbs, 72 1/8” wingspan, 29 1/8” arm length, 8 5/8” hand size, 4.62 40-yard dash, 7.16 3-cone drill, 4.28 short shuttle, 39.5” vertical jump, 10’5” broad jump, 20 bench press reps, 7.85 Relative Athletic Score

Experience

Career statistics: 26 games (17 starts) | 998, defensive snaps, 248 special teams snaps, 76 offensive snaps | 83 tackles, 10 missed tackles (10.8%), 1 forced fumble | 12 quarterback pressures (2 sacks, 2 hits, 8 hurries) | 59 targets, 41 catches surrendered (69.5%), 369 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT | 10 special teams tackles, 2 missed tackles (16.7%) | 1 kickoff return, 16 yards | 14 targets, 11 catches (78.6%), 203 receiving yards, 3 TDs | 42 carries, 317 rushing yards (7.5 yards/carry), 2 TDs | 2 fumbles

Accolades: First-team All-Pac 12 (2023), All-American (2023)

A highly versatile player during his high school career at Liberty HS in Brentwood, CA, Vaki joined the University of Utah as a three-star recruit in 2020. However, he did not take his first snap as a member of the Utes until 2022: after his high school graduation, Vaki went on a two-year church mission that took him to Tonga and Salt Lake City.

His transition back to football was a seamless one, even though it took until 2023 for Vaki to realize his full potential as a do-it-all player. In that role, he started 12 games as a safety and additionally registered 53 touches for 520 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns as a part-time running back. Along the way, he became a three-time selection to the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll as college football’s most versatile player in that particular week.

Vaki decided to enter the NFL Draft after his sophomore campaign, and was invited to the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine.

Draft profile

Expected round: 5-6 | Consensus big board: No. 136 | Patriots meeting: Senior Bowl

Strengths: You cannot talk about Vaki without mentioning his versatility. While mostly used as a positionally-flexible safety who has lined up both deep and closer to the box, he also saw action on special teams and as a running back. If a team decides to harness that versatility, and he is on board as well, he could develop into a utility player on offense who also is capable of filling a No. 3 role at safety and serving as a five-unit special teamer.

Focusing on his primary position, Vaki is a physical defender who is at his best when attacking downhill — whether it is as a blitzer, or against the run. He has shown he can identify plays and react on the fly, and also has the burst to quickly get to his landmarks both when coming down or when moving into zones. He is good in pursuit from the backside, and has learned to use his aggressiveness to a productive degree.

On offense, Vaki has been a capable runner and receiver out of the backfield. The Utes did not ask him to do too much, mostly using him as a cut-and-go player. Once through the hole, however, he was up to speed quickly and a serious threat to go the distance — something he also displayed when catching swing or screen passes.

Weaknesses: As noted above, Vaki was not asked a lot as a running back. He likely would be a design-specific player at the next level, who needs to be protected to a certain degree. Case in point: he did not have a single pass blocking snap during his college career. Expecting him to suddenly succeed in blitz pickup against NFL talent might be a tall order, at least early on in his career.

As for his defensive contributions, he looks best suited to play closer to the line of scrimmage despite having experience farther back as well. However, he oftentimes has failed to show the proper patience to let plays develop or overcommits even when he doesn’t have to. He also lacks the straight line speed to become a sideline-to-sideline presence in single high structures.

His aforementioned aggressiveness has been a double-edged sword as well. While it allows him to be a punishing second level defender, it also led to some inconsistency as far as angles and tackling leverage are concerned.

Patriots preview

What would be his role? Vaki could, in theory, play a three-way role for the Patriots. At least early on his career, however, it would not be a surprise if the team used him as a rotational safety and special teamer more so than as a running back. He would project as a third/fourth option at safety, playing primarily in the box and on early downs. In the kicking game, he might see action on up to five units — kickoff return and coverage, punt return and coverage, field goal/extra point block — from Day 1.

What is his growth potential? After only two college seasons, Vaki will likely benefit from experience no matter how he is being used. With time, he could develop into a No. 3 safety and core special teamer. As for his offensive usage, he likely would remain a package player due to his contributions elsewhere, even though he has some change-of-pace back in his profile.

Does he have positional versatility? As noted above, Vaki might be the most versatile player in this year’s draft due to his ability to contribute in all three phases. While not the same high-end athlete as current Patriot Marcus Jones — a starter-caliber cornerback, rotational wide receiver and All-Pro punt returner — the comparisons between the two only come naturally. Both have proven their ability to make impact plays on offense, defense, and in the kicking game.

Why the Patriots? The Patriots would benefit from a player like Vaki at all three of his positions. He could offer depth at a running back group that is very much a work in progress beyond Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson; he could provide more box safety depth if the team wants to use Marte Mapu more in a free safety-type role; he was a five-unit special teamer during his time at Utah. While there are questions about his ceiling, Vaki has the potential to become an important rotational option early in his career.

Why not the Patriots? While Vaki has three-way potential, he mentioned at the Scouting Combine that he would prefer to “stay on the defensive side of the ball.” The Patriots might still see some value in him as a Day 3 investment, but might decide to go in a different direction to address the free safety position rather than the box/strong safety role Vaki would fill.

One-sentence verdict: Vaki may not become the same instant-impact player as Marcus Jones, but he too would add intriguing positional flexibility to the Patriots.

What do you think about Sione Vaki as a potential Patriots target? Do you think he will be a two-way player at the next level? And would that even appeal to the new-look Patriots? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.