SAN FRANCISCO — If it feels like the 2025 Patriots came out of nowhere to make Super Bowl LX, then you’re not alone.

Football experts from around the NFL are just as surprised as you are that the Patriots went from 4-13 basement dwellers to Super Bowl LX in just one season.

This is a copycat league, though, so is there anything to borrow from the Patriots for a potential blueprint for success?

“If I tried to put myself back in the preseason, I’d say 10 of 10 surprised to see them in the Super Bowl, 7 of 10 to be in the playoffs,” an AFC South VP told the Herald.

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He saw a multitude of factors that helped the Patriots get to where they are today: A “high-floor” head coach in Mike Vrabel, an offensive coordinator in Josh McDaniels who might have entered the season slightly underrated since his quarterback was Tom Brady for most of his career, a “100th percentile outcome” free-agent class, strong interior defensive line pass rush, rookies in key roles, and a high-efficiency deep passing game.

He believes the only thing in there that could really serve as a league-wide blueprint for teams trying to replicate the Patriots’ success would be interior pressure from the defensive line, because it’s more specific and controllable than the rest.

An AFC pro scout was “a little surprised” by the Patriots’ Super Bowl run.

“If only because you just don’t expect teams to hit on that many free agents and picks,” he said. “Usually, there’s some luck involved in that, which is hard to replicate. Then the quarterback taking the huge step that he did, that’s less of a surprise but more critical to their success than any of the other guys they brought in. So, a couple things that are easier said than done if you’re attempting to replicate their success.”

The Patriots benefited from having a top-three pick in a loaded quarterback class and selecting an MVP candidate in Drake Maye. They also must be given credit for identifying Maye’s talent and not taking any available trades for the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Maye exceeded expectations under the tutelage of Vrabel, the AP Coach of the Year, and McDaniels, the AP Assistant Coach of the Year, this season, however.

An AFC director of pro scouting said he’s surprised to see the Patriots in the Super Bowl but noted they have “high-level coaching in all three phases and great QB play, which gave them a chance to win every time they played.”

You hear that, Cam Newton? Maye wasn’t just a “passenger” to the Patriots’ success this season, as anyone who watched a regular-season game can attest to.

Maye led the NFL in QBR, completion percentage, passer rating, yards per attempt, completion percentage over expected and expected points added while taking an enormous second-year leap.

Vrabel’s game management skills have also shown up, especially in the playoffs.

“I can’t understate the importance of Stretch (vice president of football operations and strategy John Streicher) and the buy-in of the coaches to their game management procedures,” an NFC analytics staff member said. “When a team with that much talent isn’t beating themselves, it makes it really tough on you.”

He was especially impressed in the Patriots’ game management at the end of halves.

“They seem to consistently finish with both points and the last real possession,” he said.

Vrabel’s timeout usage has been particularly notable throughout the season.

The AFC director of pro scouting noted an “easier road through the playoffs this season” though specified that wasn’t a knock on the Patriots. The Patriots didn’t have to face Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson in the postseason, and they played beat-up Chargers, Texans and Broncos teams to advance through their conference.

All of those caveats go away, obviously, if the Patriots can beat a healthy Seahawks team in the Super Bowl.

Vrabel regularly came up when polling league sources about the Patriots’ turnaround.

“I think it just shows how important the head coach position is and what a really good one can do to a team,” an NFC South scout said.

“Vrabel is a stud, and Eliot (Wolf) did a really nice job both in free agency and the draft,” a second AFC pro scouting director said. “The blueprint: Hire the right coach.”

The Patriots’ offseason was immaculate and shows how a strong free-agent and draft class can lift a franchise. Only 23 of the Patriots’ 53 players were on the roster last season. Among the Patriots’ projected starting 22 players in Super Bowl LX, more than half were brought in this offseason.

The Patriots signed wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, offensive linemen Garrett Bradbury and Morgan Moses, edge defenders K’Lavon Chaisson and Harold Landry, defensive tackle Milton Williams, linebackers Robert Spillane and Jack Gibbens and cornerback Carlton Davis in free agency and then selected left tackle Will Campbell, running back TreVeyon Henderson, wide receiver Kyle Williams, left guard Jared Wilson, safety Craig Woodson and two-thirds of their specialists in the draft, plus added more help via rookie free agents (Elijah Ponder and Efton Chism), waivers (Charles Woods) and practice squad signings (Thayer Munford Jr., Leonard Taylor III and Cory Durden).

That showed, to one AFC analytics executive, that there are multiple ways to build out a roster.

“QB remains the most important position by a mile, and hitting on one makes anything possible.” he said. “A lot of people harp on the draft and develop model but New England hasn’t exactly drafted well. The free agent class has been awesome. Ironically enough, on the opposite end, Seattle has drafted amazingly at the non-QB positions but brought in their Super Bowl QB via free agency. I’d like to hear less about how some team-building strategy is the best path and more about how you plan on executing any number of paths at a high level.”

Still, the NFC South scout believed this year’s squad “overachieved this year relative to the pure talent level of their roster,” thinking they were still one more offseason away from being true contenders before Week 1.

Count one AFC West VP among those not surprised by the Patriots’ sudden success.

“The coach came in and changed the culture,” he said. “They surrounded the QB and helped him develop, supplemented and surrounded him with weapons via the draft and free agency. I’m not surprised in the turnaround. Obviously, nobody can claim a team is Super Bowl-bound, but you can feel when things are built the right way. They got hot at the right time.”

A former Patriots offensive assistant coach also says he saw this coming.

“Not surprised at all,” he said. “Drake Maye’s a baller who fell into our lap at No. 3, and the front office spent $350 million-plus in free agency and added a veteran coach. Everything starts with the QB and leadership.”

The Patriots have only lost one game since Sept. 21. That’s over 4 1/2 months with 16 wins and just one loss. They face an also red-hot Seahawks team in the Super Bowl.

But it’s amazing how much one successful offseason can change the course of a franchise in such a short time.

Will other teams be able to hit on a quarterback, 10 free agents and a draft class in a 12-month span? Probably not, but there’s something to learn from how Vrabel and his front office turned around the Patriots’ fortunes.