The New England Patriots have addressed growing questions around Mike Vrabel after his absence from a key pre-draft media appearance, insisting there is no issue behind the scenes. Speculation has intensified following a recent off-field controversy involving the Patriots’ head coach.

Mike Vrabel skips Patriots press conference as Dianna Russini denies rumors, while New England shifts focus to upcoming NFL Draft plans.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport revealed on Friday that the Patriots had made an addition to their coaching staff in former Tennessee Titans and New York Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen — a close friend of Vrabel’s.

Speaking to reporters earlier this week, New England Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf gave some insight into the state of the linebacker class in this year’s NFL Draft. While he didn’t sound overly excited about the group, he did point out that there would be plenty of talent in the late-round range.