Image courtesy of the New England Patriots 

On Friday afternoon, the NFL unveiled the start dates and full spring calendar for OTAs and mandatory minicamp.

Last season, even during the early days of voluntary workouts, you could see bits and pieces starting to come together. By May and June, the Pats were building something. We didn’t know it would last all the way until the final game of the season, but there’s no doubt the weeks after the draft are important times for the base foundation of a successful football season to be built.

Here’s how the calendar shakes out for the Patriots:

Organized Team Activities (Voluntary)

April 20 (First day of the program, which mostly includes lifts and conditioning)

May 27

May 29

June 1

June 2

June 8

June 9

June 11

Mandator Minicamp (Limited football activity)

June 15

June 16

June 17

Dates for Rookie Minicamp aren’t out yet, but it will be relatively soon thereafter the draft, which is April 23, 24 and 25. Last year’s rookie class had a big impact, this year’s class needs to do the same as New England tries to begin building for the future and the present. Having a new core of guys that get (earn) second contracts is important.

With plenty of new faces joining a good core that now has a well-established culture, this spring will be as equally as vital as last year was in terms of developing early team chemistry, while also building on all the positives from last year’s incredible run.