2026 NFL Draft Grades: New England Patriots Report Card and Analysis

The lead-up into the NFL Draft often feels mountainous.

Countless prospects spanning hundreds of schools each bring their own strengths and weaknesses to the most important job interview of their lives. Countless evaluations, mock drafts, and speculative reports fill months of the calendar without games being played, pairing players with teams based on personal interpretations of need and value.

The league’s largest non-gameday event is a mammoth, and once the clock starts running on draft night, speculation is thrown by the wayside in favor of results. And those are even more unpredictable than any of the reporting in the weeks that precede the draft.

For the New England Patriots, the 2026 NFL Draft presented the opportunity for the team to build depth and long-term stability around a strong young foundation that led them to Super Bowl LX. By the end, it was marked by aggressive maneuvering of the draft board in the early rounds to identify and select players at key areas of need.

From offensive and defensive line to tight end and linebacker, New England entered draft night with several positions lacking depth and long-term stability — and exited with answers. Whether it be immediate contributors or safeguarding the roster for the future, the Patriots paved a path with young talent on cost-controlled contracts for the coming years.

How well did they do when they were finally on the clock?

Today, we’ll be reviewing each of New England’s nine selections in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Round 1, Pick 28

Trade with Buffalo Bills (NE Received No. 28, BUF Received No. 31 & No. 125)

The Patriots waited and watched as six offensive tackles were selected in the first 21 picks of the draft. With seven tackles graded as consensus first-round picks and a precipitous drop-off to the next group at the position, Caleb Lomu sat on the board until 28th overall when New England traded up to acquire him.

In a rare in-division trade with the Buffalo Bills, the Patriots packaged their 31st and 125th overall selections to slide up three spots and secure Lomu, who started at left tackle for Utah the last two seasons after redshirting as a freshman in 2023.

Lomu profiles as an athletic pass protector that uses active hands and quick feet to gain solid positioning and posture to sustain blocks. He has some strides to make up as a run blocker, but his natural traits and long-term development path in Foxboro make this a big win for New England in the waning moments of round one.

In 2025, Lomu allowed no sacks, two hits, and six hurries in pass protection, earning a pass blocking grade of 82.1 (28th of 632 FBS tackles, per PFF). In two seasons as a starter, he allowed just two sacks and 23 pressures. Lomu shows great core strength and flexibility to maintain pad level through pass blocking reps, times his punches well to grasp onto and control edge rushers, and rarely gets caught off-guard by opposing twists and stunts.

Lomu showcased his great balance and short area quickness on tape and at the NFL Scouting Combine, where he measured in at 6’6 ¼”, 313 lbs., with 33 ⅜” arms, ran a 4.99 second 40-yard dash with a 1.74 second 10-yard split, and jumped 32.5” in the vertical jump and 9’5” in the broad jump. He also impressed with a smooth outing in the on-field drills in Indianapolis, and earned a Relative Athletic Score of 9.78 out of 10.00 with his testing metrics (ranked 38th of 1,645 offensive tackle prospects from 1987-2026).

While Lomu’s profile pairs well with the Patriots’ affinity for offensive linemen with rare athletic measurables, questions surrounded his power and finishing ability through the whistle. His greatest critiques are in run blocking and play demeanor, where he’s been criticized for not having enough “nasty” in his game.

At just 21 years old with two years of starting experience, Lomu is a high-ceiling project as a right tackle with no immediate pressure to start. He brings immediate value as a swing tackle, and will learn behind Morgan Moses as he continues to round out his game as a future starter along the offensive front.

Once Lomu was off the board, so were all of the top-ranked offensive tackles in the class that project to have starting-upside. New England’s aggressiveness in trading up ensured that they were able to draft their long-term replacement at right tackle, and did so by surrendering one of two fourth round selections they owned.

He may not be an immediate contributor on a team that is firmly in a “win now” window, but will be a solution for Drake Maye up front for years to come — and an insurance plan in the short-term.

Grade: A-

Round 2, Pick 55

Trade with Los Angeles Chargers (NE Received No. 55, LAC Received No. 63, No. 131 & No. 202)

The Patriots’ aggressiveness early in the draft continued into the second round, moving up the board eight spots to select edge rusher Gabe Jacas — a former state champion wrestler whose violent play demeanor, heavy hands, and burst off-the-snap profile as the greatest identity fit of the draft class.

A four-year starter and former team captain with the Illinois Fighting Illini, Jacas racked up 27 sacks, 31 quarterback hits, 83 hurries, 142 total pressures and seven forced fumbles in his collegiate career, with 183 total tackles and 96 stops in the run game. 2025 was a career year for the defensive end, as he totaled 11 sacks, 7 quarterback hits, 22 hurries and 41 pressures with a pass rush win rate of 14.9% and a pass rush grade of 88.0.

Jacas’ high-level wrestling background is apparent in his play style, and worked extensively at Illinois with former New England pass rush consultant Joe Kim — a seventh-degree taekwondo black belt who incorporates martial arts philosophies into pass rushing hand-fighting techniques. Jacas’ breadth of knowledge enables him to make strong use of his stout frame (6’4”, 260 lbs.) to bully blockers and create disruption against the pass and run, showing strong spatial awareness and the ability to counter inside when tackles overset.

He didn’t test at the NFL Scouting Combine while recovering from a hamstring injury, but ran a 4.69 second 40-yard dash with an outstanding 1.59 second 10-yard split and bench pressed 225 lbs. 30 times at his Pro Day. Those testing metrics earned Jacas a 9.59 RAS, ranking 93 of 2,257 defensive end prospects from 1987-2026.

The Patriots invited Jacas on a Top 30 Visit during the pre-draft process, and the interest mounted into a second trade up in the first two rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft. With five edge rushers selected in the first 13 picks of the second round and six edge rushers selected in the first round, New England sent their final fourth round pick and a sixth round pick to Los Angeles in order to ensure he made his way back to Foxboro.

Jacas’ profile as an aggressive, physically imposing threat with great burst and finishing ability off the edge is paired with proven production on the field and in the locker room. He’s the embodiment of the culture New England has been building over the past two seasons, and will provide immediate value at the team’s greatest need with the potential to evolve into a leader in the future.

Grade: A

Round 3, Pick 95

Eli Raridon fell into the Patriots lap at 95th overall amidst an expected run on tight ends during the middle rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft — and it may be a mistake the league regrets for years to come. Raridon is a “Y” tight end with the size (6’6”, 245 lbs.), athleticism, and catch radius to stretch the field over the deep and intermediate areas of the field.

He burst onto the scene in his senior year at Notre Dame in 2025 with flashes of great finishing ability as a blocker and speed that constantly threatened defenses vertically up the seams, over the middle of the field, and as an elite deep threat. 2025 was the only season Raridon eclipsed 100 yards receiving, but he made his limited sample size as a pass catcher count. He hauled in 32 of 44 targets (72.7% reception rate), with 482 yards (15.1 yards per catch, sixth among all FBS tight ends) last season.

Raridon led all FBS tight ends with eight deep catches (20+ yards downfield) on 10 targets and 282 yards. The only two targets that Raridon didn’t convert into catches resulted in defensive pass interference penalties.

An impressive showing at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine helped ease past injury concerns. He posted a 4.62 second 40-yard dash, 36” vertical jump, 10’3” broad jump, and 20 reps on the bench press. His testing metrics earned an RAS of 9.66, which ranked 47 of 1,356 tight end prospects from 1987-2026.

Hesitation surrounding Raridon was focused mainly on a twice-torn right ACL (at the end of his senior year of high school in 2021 and again as a freshman at Notre Dame in 2022), which could have ultimately led to his availability at No. 95 overall. Still, with eight tight ends selected prior to Raridon, his potential upside and fit within New England’s offense as a future TE1 were too much to pass up at the bottom-end of the top-100.

Raridon projects as a long-term solution at the top of the tight end room with the time and opportunity to develop under Hunter Henry as a rookie. His athleticism and strength will allow him to be a contributor on all three downs, already showing dependability with a wide catch radius as a down-field target for Drake Maye, good awareness to find soft spots in zones, and the toughness to block in-line.

Grade: A

Round 5, Pick 171

Karon Prunty had been previously connected to the Patriots during the pre-draft process when he took a Top 30 Visit to Foxboro prior to his selection in the fifth round.

Prunty is a boundary corner that has been tested by opposing quarterbacks consistently over stops at Kansas, North Carolina A&T, and Wake Forest during his college career. In large part, he stood up to the challenge with 28 career pass breakups and a reception percentage allowed of just 48.8%.

At 6’2”, 192 lbs., Prunty uses his length and athleticism to transition from his backpedal into trail technique fluidly and affect the receiver at the catch point, while his short-area quickness and awareness of route progressions allows him to be in the right place to make plays more often than not. He can show more aggressiveness when playing off-coverage and can be out-muscled for the football downfield, but will be an immediate depth addition in a thinning cornerback room behind the team’s top starters and provide additional value on special teams.

After sacrificing both of their fourth round selections to trade up for Lomu and Jacas in the first two rounds, New England endured a stretch of 76 picks that spanned the end of the third round through the latter stages of the fifth round before they were on the clock once more.

With many of the top prospects off the board in the heart of Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft, it seemed as though the Patriots’ strategic approach in the draft shifted from filling needs to acquiring developmental depth pieces with immediate upside as core special teamers.

Prunty was the first selection of the sort for New England, and there’s a reasonable argument to be made that he would have been available to the team even later in the draft as the 459th overall prospect on the consensus big board.

With several areas on the roster that needed depth additions, there were a variety of different routes the Patriots could have taken — at pick 171 and with their five remaining selections. Prunty was obviously much higher on New England’s board than consensus, and they passed on positions like linebacker, guard, and running back to bring him aboard.

He has the size and production to warrant a further look, joining a mix of players that includes Charles Woods, Marcellas Dial Jr., and Kobee Minor to compete for a roster spot at the bottom of the corner room.

Grade: C+

Round 6, Pick 196

Trade with Jacksonville Jaguars (NE Received No. 196 & No. 245, JAX Received No. 191)

The Patriots’ maneuvering of the draft board continued into the sixth and seventh rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, when they slid down from No. 191 to No. 196 and selected Texas A&M offensive tackle Dametrious Crownover.

Crownover brings elite size (6’7 ¼”, 319 lbs., with 35 ⅜” arms and 10” hands) and movement skills as a former tight end who converted to tackle in 2022. He started three seasons for the Aggies at right tackle from 2023-2025, showcasing the agility and foot quickness to excel as a run blocker and become more efficient as a pass blocker.

With great length and movement skills, Crownover has shown the ability to secure the corner as a pass protector but has inconsistent footwork that led to a high number of generated pressures. He makes good use of his explosion off-the-line as a run blocker and drives defenders back with a solid base, heavy hands, and effective use of his nearly 86” wingspan.

He graded out as a much better run blocker (72.4 run blocking grade) than pass blocker (58.4 pass blocking grade) in 2025 (per PFF), allowing two sacks, 27 total pressures and racking up 11 penalties on the year.

A raw prospect whose technique and consistency need refinement, Crownover was ranked 124th on the consensus big board and wasn’t expected to be available for New England at this point of the draft.

During the pre-draft process, Crownover registered an RAS of 7.67 after running the 40-yard dash in 5.14 seconds with a 1.79 second 10-yard split, a 4.98 second 20-yard shuttle and 7.88 second three cone drill.

The Patriots continued investment into athletic offensive linemen and additional bodies to protect Maye in the passing game continued with their second tackle selection of the 2026 NFL Draft. Crownover provides excellent value as a sixth round pick with the potential to develop into a long-term swing tackle and adds insurance behind Lomu as he switches sides of the formation.

Grade: A-

Round 6, Pick 212

New England addressed linebacker at pick 212 on Day 3, selecting TCU’s Namdi Obiazor — a converted safety who spent his first two collegiate seasons at Iowa Western Community College, earning First-Team NJCAA All-American honors in 2021 before transferring to TCU in 2022.

As a three-year starter with the Horned Frogs from 2023-2025, Obiazor consistent weekly production led to nearly identical statistical outputs of 84 tackles and four sacks in 2023, 81 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 2024, and 88 tackles and two sacks in 2025.

Obiazor is assignment-sound, flowing to the ball within plays from the second level and covering ground sideline-to-sideline with great pursuit and the tenacity to finish with a high success rate (6.9% missed tackle rate over the last two seasons). He quickly diagnoses plays and is effective at working around or shedding blockers with great timing to make an impact against the run, and has good spatial awareness and discipline as a zone-dropping defender in coverage.

His athleticism on tape translated to his pre-draft workouts, where Obiazor turned heads by running the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds with a 1.56 second 10-yard split, a 4.36 second 20-yard shuttle, 7.24 second three cone drill, jumped 37” in the vertical jump and 9’11” in the broad jump, and put up 21 reps on the bench press. Even somewhat undersized at 6’2”, 229 lbs., he registered an impressive 9.14 RAS.

Obiazor may have more straight-line speed than short-area agility and change of direction, but his efficiency as a downhill run stuffer with the versatility to be a dependable zone defender could lead to him seeing snaps as a rotational off-ball linebacker behind starters Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss. He’ll add immediate value on special teams with the upside to develop into a defensive contributor that brings great athleticism and ascending football intelligence to the position.

Grade: B+

Round 7, Pick 234

Trade with Minnesota Vikings (NE Received No. 234 & 2027 sixth round pick, MIN Received No. 198)

The Patriots slid down the board from 198 to 234 to pick up an additional sixth round pick in 2027, and used their extra seventh round pick in 2026 to add a third quarterback in Texas Tech’s Behren Morton — who they showed previous interest in with a Top 30 Visit during the pre-draft process.

Morton’s career at Texas Tech was filled with highs and lows, largely due to a litany of injuries that likely warranted the visit due to medical concerns. A three-time Honorable Mention All-Big 12 selection that missed time due to injuries in multiple seasons played through a sprained right AC joint in 2023 and 2024, and endured the back half of 2025 with a hairline fracture in his right fibula.

Even with the fracture a constant issue in his plant leg, he completed a career-best 66.0% of his passes with 2,780 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and just six interceptions with a passer rating of 154.6.

Morton’s toughness shows on the field with a willingness to stand tall in the pocket, progress through his reads, and make smart decisions with the football, but will need to throw with better route anticipation and have a more timely sense for pressure to be reliable in the pros.

New England was doing their homework on Day 3 quarterback options leading up to the draft as they searched for an additional arm behind Maye and Tommy DeVito. Morton’s injury history may have been cause for hesitation until late in the draft, but there’s hope that his best football is still in front of him as he returns to full health for the first time in several seasons.

Right now, he’s the most likely candidate as the Patriots’ emergency third quarterback to start 2026.

Grade: B-

Round 7, Pick 245

Trade with Jacksonville Jaguars (NE Received No. 196 & No. 245, JAX Received No. 191)

New England rounded out their earlier trade with Jacksonville and made their penultimate selection in the 2026 NFL Draft when they added running back Jam Miller of Alabama late in the seventh round.

Miller was a complementary piece in the Alabama Crimson Tide’s offense since arriving in Tuscaloosa as a true freshman in 2022, taking over lead back duties under head coach Kalen DeBoer in 2024.

As a full-time starter in 2024, Miller set a career-best mark in rushing yards and led the team with 676 yards on 145 carries (4.6 yards per carry) and added seven rushing touchdowns. In 2025, he rushed for 504 yards on 130 carries (3.9 yards per carry) and found the end zone three times on the ground after missing the season’s fall camp and first three games due to an upper body injury.

Miller uses a low center of gravity and strong base to plant and quickly create space on downhill runs, and brings versatility as a former kick and punt returner. He creates space for himself laterally with frequent use of jump cuts and rarely coughs up the football (two career fumbles).

In Indianapolis, Miller recorded a 4.42 second 40-yard dash, 30.5” vertical jump, and 9’7” broad jump. He earned an overall athleticism score of 81 and an RAS of 7.04 with his testing numbers.

At 5’10”, 206 lbs., Miller possesses the size, speed, and short-area quickness to be an effective NFL rusher, but struggles to see and feel lanes developing in the run game. More time to learn the game in a developmental role may be needed to see him run with more confidence in Foxboro, but Miller provides late value as a rotational back whose athleticism, frame, and versatility in the kicking game make him a viable option as a third runner behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.

He’ll compete with incumbents Terrell Jennings, Elijah Mitchell, and Lan Larison for the role this fall.

Grade: B-

Round 7, Pick 247

New England rounded out their 2026 draft class with Boston College edge rusher Quintayvious Hutchins at pick 247 — continuing the Eagles’ connection with the Patriots and marking the second position group that the team used multiple selections on.

Hutchins is a raw prospect who started just 16 games in his collegiate career and wasn’t utilized as a full-time defensive contributor until 2024. As a fifth-year senior in 2025, he was named a team captain and recorded 35 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks.

At 6’2 ⅞”, 233 lbs., Hutchins is an undersized pass rushing specialist off the edge that shows much better play strength at the point of attack than his measurables may suggest. He’s shown an array of pass rushing moves with great bend, counters, and anchoring to set a firm edge against the run.

His smaller stature at the edge, lack of experience, and limitations in his overall athletic profile pushed Hutchins down draft boards, but he was taken in an expected range as the 243rd overall prospect on the consensus big board.

Hutchins ran a 4.74 second 40-yard dash with a 1.73 second 10-yard split and jumped 37” in the vertical jump at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. At Boston College’s Pro Day, he added a 9’4” broad jump, 4.61 second 20-yard shuttle, and 7.34 second three cone drill to his testing numbers, and registered an RAS of 5.15.

Hutchins is another depth addition to the edge room that provides upside as a developmental, rotational pass rusher with the athletic traits to become an immediate contributor on special teams. With limited collegiate playing time, he’ll be a moldable project for Zak Kuhr that’s already shown flashes of being a high-upside player at a key position of need.

Grade: B

After months of speculation and rumors, we now have (most of) the answers to how New England will build their roster around Drake Maye and an ascending young core.

From reinforcing the trenches on both sides of the ball to securing long-term stability and building out depth at several positions of need, the Patriots walk away from the 2026 NFL Draft with a roster that is ready for another playoff push.

New England took an aggressive approach in the early rounds of the draft, trading up in the first and second round to secure Lomu and Jacas in an effort to reinforce depth and long-term sustainability on both ends of the line of scrimmage. They wrapped the second day of selections with a highly-touted tight end in Raridon, and continued maneuvering the board in latter stages of the draft with developmental picks.

Next, the Patriots will look to put the cherry on top… with a post-June 1 trade for Philadelphia Eagles’ wide receiver A.J. Brown on the horizon.

Overall Grade: B+

Who is your favorite selection by New England in the 2026 NFL Draft? What would you grade their draft? Let us know in the comments section below.

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