Patriots coach Mike Vrabel will reportedly seek counseling and miss Saturday's Day 3 of the NFL Draft. (AP photo)

The drama surrounding the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini saga has taken a new turn.

According to an ESPN report late Wednesday night, the New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel will miss Day 3 of the NFL Draft Saturday to seek counseling after new photos of the coach and NFL reporter at an Arizona resort surfaced Wednesday. And, after this news last night, more New York Post photos of Vrabel and Russini taken in a bar in New York City early in the morning of March 11,2020 — six years ago — were published Thursday.

“As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization and this team that I was going to give them the best version of me that I can possibly give them. In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend,” Vrabel said Wednesday night, according to ESPN. “This is something that I have given a lot of thought to and is something I would advise a player to do if I was counseling them.

“I have always wanted to lead by example, and I believe this is what I have to do to be the best husband, father and coach that I possibly can be. This is not an easy thing for me to admit, but it is one that I know will make me a better person. I appreciate the support that everyone has given me and promise a stronger resolve as a result.”

The photos of Vrabel and Russini at a Sedona resort were taken before the annual NFL meetings that began in Phoenix on March 29, according to the New York Post, which published the photos this month.

The NFL said last weekend that it is not investigating Vrabel’s behavior. Vrabel said he spoke to the team Monday when players reported for OTAs.

Vrabel addressed the matter for the first time on Tuesday, telling reporters he’s had ” difficult conversations with people I care about.”

PATRIOTS FACE DRAFT CHOICES

Meanwhile, The first round of the National Football League Draft is tonight, and the question is not only who the New England Patriots may pick, but if they pick at all.

They’re at No. 31 thanks to last year’s marvelous Super Bowl season, and go into the three-day football fest in Pittsburgh with 11 picks. It’s highly unlikely they’ll keep them all so expect some wheeling and dealing on the part of VP Eliot Wolf and Vrabel.

“I think every draft is different,” Wolf said last week. “I saw a pull quote that I actually said. I did say it, but there was a ‘but’ at the end of it. It was basically, ‘I think if you had to look historically, this draft probably isn’t great.’ That was what was taken, but if we do our job and we do everything right, we’re going to be able to get a good player with every pick, and that’s our intention.”

New England will pick at Nos. 31, 63 and 95 tonight and Friday night (second and third round). Rounds four through seven are Saturday and the Patriots have two fourths (125, 131), a fifth (171) a whopping four sixths (191, 198, 202, 212) and then wrap it up at No. 247 (seventh round).

Wolf and Vrabel could find a trade partner with some teams like the Chargers, who have only five choices.

“We’re open to anything,” Wolf said. “Whatever way we can possibly improve the team, we’re open to. We have 11 picks. Most of those are kind of later in the draft, but we do have some flexibility with those 11 picks. I think it’ll depend a little bit on how the board falls. If we view that there’s a player that whether he’s falling or there’s somebody that we think we need to go get, we’ll be open to those opportunities.”

But the focus right now is who they might pick, or at least the position, if they keep tonight’s choice. They’re at the type of “best available” spot, but the Patriots will likely go heavy on defense in this draft perhaps hoping for an edge rusher with the 31st pick.

“I think the right guy will be there,” Wolf said. “Tim Terry, who I used to work with in Green Bay, used to say that all the time. I think it’s tough to predict. If you just go look at the board right now and just say, ‘Hey, who are the 30 names that are not going to be there?’ It’s pretty difficult.

“So, we’ll just kind of continue to gather information and continue to evaluate and explore options, whether that’s going up, going back, whatever the case may be.”

Wolf was pretty honest when evaluating the draft as to what positions stand out as viable.

“About the positions, I mean, I think it’s a pretty strong draft on the offensive and defensive line” he said. “Secondary, maybe not as much. Receiver and tight end are pretty good in comparison to some of the recent years. So, we’re excited about some of these opportunities, and there are some matchups to some positions of need for us.”

So he said he’ll approach this draft in a different way than perhaps most.

“So, I like to look at it more along the lines of what don’t we need?,” Wolf aid. “Because there’s a lot less of that when you look at it that way. Center is always a good one. If you have two really good centers, well, you’re not going to draft a third center because it just – everything has to work together. So, I think about it as, what can we eliminate from consideration?

“Especially when you’re picking down at 31 and at the end of these rounds, it’s a little bit harder to predict exactly who’s going to be there. So, you just have to make sure that you’re going to pick a good football player at any point.”

And that first point should be tonight. Stay tuned.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)