The 2026 NFL Draft is just around the corner.

As the draft has inched closer, we’ve been keeping close tabs on players that the New England Patriots may be looking to target once they’re on the clock.

From the Senior Bowl to the NFL Scouting Combine and Pro Days, teams have several avenues to vet prospects that they might be interested in during the pre-draft process. One of those pathways is through “Top 30 Visits.” 

Prior to the NFL Draft, each team may invite up to 30 players to come to their facilities and interview with the coaching staff and management. While a visit doesn’t always ensure a selection, it is a good indicator that the player has caught the eye of the team, and they’d like the additional time to spend evaluating the prospect on and off the field.

From potential targets with pick 31 to undrafted rookie free agents, Top 30 Visits serve as a comprehensive look at the player profiles/archetypes that teams are looking to invest in, and can be a great indicator of future moves.

Here are all of the confirmed Top 30 Visits that the Patriots have hosted leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft: 

Consensus Board Ranking: #26 Overall (#5 WR)

A First-Team Associated Press All-American and Paul Hornung Award Winner as the nation’s most versatile player in 2025 (919 receiving yards, nine receiving touchdowns, 456 punt return yards, two punt return touchdowns), K.C. Concepcion profiles as an elusive slot receiver whose sudden route breaks and elite change of direction ability allow him to gain separation at the break point and generate yards after the catch with consistency. He’s struggled with drops at times and doesn’t have other-worldly top-end speed, but he’d profile as a great complement to some of the larger bodies that New England flanks out on the boundary. 

Consensus Board Ranking: #36 Overall (#7 OT)

A 6’6”, 321 pound mauler who just started playing football in junior college, Max Iheanachor’s raw, untapped potential and violent play demeanor have turned heads as a high-upside developmental prospect behind the Patriots’ current starters along the offensive line. He’ll need to refine the technique in his pass sets to reach that ceiling as a pro, but would have the luxury of learning from Morgan Moses for at least one season in Foxboro. Iheanachor and Mike Vrabel earlier made headlines by working out together at Arizona State’s Pro Day.

Consensus Board Ranking: #41 Overall (#3 IOL)

With 51 starts and over 3,100 total snaps taken across three schools (Wyoming, USC, Oregon), Emmanuel Pregnon brings experience starting at both guard positions and specializes as a downhill blocker. Pregnon applies constant forward push and uses his broad frame (6’4”, 314 lbs.), strong base, and violent play demeanor to displace interior rushers and clear holes in the running game. One of the top guards in the class, Pregnon was named First-Team All-American by the Associated Press and First-Team All-Big Ten in 2025. 

Consensus Board Ranking: #87 Overall (#4 TE)

In an unusually deep tight end draft class, Oscar Delp has been flying up boards as a prototypical in-line blocking “Y” tight end that flashes the athletic traits to be a high-volume pass-catcher, but lacks the overall proven production to justify a higher pick. With just 20 catches last season, Delp impressed on film as a physical presence at the point of attack and at his, where he posted a 4.49 second 40-yard dash, 38” vertical jump, and 23 reps on the bench press at 6’5”, 245 lbs. Delp could provide value early as an additional blocker in the run game while he develops as a more reliable receiver and long-term leader in the tight end room.

Consensus Board Ranking: #120 Overall (#20 WR)

At 6’2”, 206 lbs., De’Zhaun Stribling turned heads at the NFL Scouting Combine after running a 4.36 second 40-yard dash. Stribling’s size and speed combination, along with his physicality at the line of scrimmage and at the catch point, give him the versatility to provide value as an inside or outside receiver at the next level. A competitive blocker in the run game, Stribling’s strengths align well with what the Patriots are looking for in receiver prospects that can be a factor on all three downs — and will be available for great value around the middle rounds of the draft.

Consensus Board Ranking: #147 Overall (#19 OT)

Travis Burke is one of the faster-rising players on draft boards nationwide as the draft approaches. The 6’9”, 325 lb. mammoth plays to his size with heavy hands, powerful first contact and a relentless motor to finish blocks through the whistle. His frame and lack of short-area agility may give him trouble adjusting to pass rushers at the next level, but could be a great developmental value add in the tackle room on Day 3.

Consensus Board Ranking: #168 Overall (#10 RB)

Adam Randall began playing running back in 2025 after spending his earlier years as a wide receiver with Clemson. The 6’2”, 232 lb. rusher still has adjustments to make as an efficient between-the-tackles runner, but his size and versatility harken back to the days of Cordarrelle Patterson in Josh McDaniels’ offensive scheme. With special teams ability as another notch in Randall’s belt, he could be a complementary piece that fills several holes for New England late in the draft.

Consensus Board Ranking: #163 Overall (#16 IOL)

If the Patriots are looking for another guard that wins with physically dominating effort at the point of attack, look no further than Jeremiah Wright. The late Day 3 prospect profiles with traits similar to Mike Onwenu (on an expiring contract), and could provide value late with a similar developmental path. While there are limitations due to his athleticism, Wright brings an imposing presence and constant “effort and finish” through the end of each rep — aligning well with Vrabel’s team identity and the tone New England’s offense will look to establish up front.

Consensus Board Ranking: #181 Overall (#11 RB)

Kaelon Black starred as one-part of a two-headed running back rotation at Indiana alongside Roman Hemby. Black was an efficient runner, showing good vision and great physicality to churn out positive yardage consistently without fumbling concerns, but doesn’t have the explosive ability of a top back in the class. He’d fit as a late Day 3 rotational back behind TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson.

Consensus Board Ranking: #209 Overall (#26 WR)

Cyrus Allen has come into the picture as a Day 3 fit for the Patriots’ wide receiver corps late in the draft process. His production exploded in Cincinnati with the Bearcats in 2025, where he ranked third in the nation with 13 receiving touchdowns and showed natural separation ability with great short-area quickness and a diverse release package to stack and defeat press man coverage. At 5’11”, 180 lbs., Allen’s limited size and physicality at the catch point could be deterrents for teams looking for immediate contributors out wide, but his natural athleticism and production as a deep threat (16.3 yards per catch in college career) make him a fit in New England’s downfield passing offense. 

Consensus Board Ranking: #302 Overall (#12 QB)

Jalon Daniels has had moments where he’s shown great promise throughout his six-year collegiate career, including a school-record 544-yard, five touchdown performance against Arkansas in the 2023 AutoZone Liberty Bowl. A perennial team captain and scholar-athlete, Daniels has the arm talent and athleticism (4.65 second 40-yard dash) to be an effective stop-gap at the quarterback position, but will need to improve his ability to diagnose coverages and throw with anticipation at the next level. Daniels is a potential value-add on Day 3 to place behind Drake Maye.

Consensus Board Ranking: #303 Overall (#13 QB)

Behren Morton’s career at Texas Tech was filled with highs and lows. A three-time Honorable Mention All-Big 12 selection that missed time due to injuries in multiple seasons played through the back half of 2025 with a hairline fracture in his right fibula. Even so, 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 while leading the Red Raiders to the College Football Playoff. Morton’s toughness shows on the field with a willingness to stand tall in the pocket and progress through his reads, but will need to throw with better route anticipation and have a more timely sense for pressure to be reliable in the pros. As the Patriots weigh Day 3 quarterback options, Morton’s medicals appear to be worth a closer look in-house.

Consensus Board Ranking: #23 Overall (#3 S)

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren brings great size (6’3 ½”, 201 lbs.) and athleticism (4.52 second 40-yard dash) at the safety position, with the range to defend sideline-to-sideline and the versatility to step down into the box as an extra body in run support. He may not profile as a deep-third defender, but can be a highly effective nickel, tight end eraser, and ballhawk in underneath zones as a cloud/flat defender immediately. 

Consensus Board Ranking: #31 Overall (#2 IDL)

Kayden McDonald profiles as a high-level nose tackle that pairs proven production (65 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles in 2025 with First-Team All-American honors) with great size (6’2”, 326 lbs.), natural leverage and punishing physicality along the interior of the defensive line. His consistent disruptions in run fits and versatility as a pass rusher make him an interesting replacement for Khyiris Tonga early in the draft.

Consensus Board Ranking: #37 Overall (#7 EDGE)

A commonly-projected target at the end of the first round for the Patriots, Zion Young (6’6”, 262 lbs.) is a powerful edge rusher that excels at setting a hard edge in the run game and has all of the athletic traits to become a more well-polished pass rusher. Some off-field concerns and lack of finishing consistency at the collegiate level have pushed him down some boards, but his play strength and demeanor align well with New England’s aggressive defensive philosophy.

Consensus Board Ranking: #42 Overall (#8 EDGE)

Malachi Lawrence’s draft stock has been rising since an impressive athletic showing at the NFL Scouting Combine, which included a 4.52 second 40-yard dash, 1.59 second 10-yard split, 40” vertical jump, and 10’10” broad jump with a Relative Athletic Score of 9.94 out of 10.00. He uses a combination of size (6’4”, 253 lbs.) and athleticism to quickly get off the ball and close on the ballcarrier, making him a constant threat to quarterbacks that boasted a pass rush win rate of 19.2% in 2025. He appeared stiff at times to bend and turn the corner on the rush and will need to channel his athleticism with better discipline and consistency in his rush plan, but Lawrence’s blend of size, speed, and production has many in the NFL world projecting him as a late first-round pick. 

Consensus Board Ranking: #47 Overall (#9 EDGE)

R Mason Thomas is a smaller edge defender (6’2”, 241 lbs.) that compensates for his lack of length with an explosive get-off, bend around the loop, and great use of leverage to convert speed to power when he needs to employ a bull rush to plow through larger offensive tackles. He may be limited early on as a pass rush specialist, but his 20.3% pass rush win rate in 2025 is a testament to the consistently high-motor that Thomas plays with on a per-snap basis. He’d bring immediate juice to the Patriots’ pressure package.

Consensus Board Ranking: #52 Overall (#10 EDGE)

A former high school wrestler, Gabe Jacas makes excellent use of his broad frame (6’4”, 260 lbs.) to bully blockers and create disruption, showing strong spatial awareness and the ability to counter inside when tackles overset. As a four-year starter with the Illinois Fighting Illini, Jacas racked up 28 sacks, 31 quarterback hits, 83 hurries, 142 total pressures and six forced fumbles in his collegiate career, with 152 total tackles and 96 stops in the run game. He’ll need to add more creativity to his rush plan and improve discipline setting the edge at the next level, but his violent play demeanor and athletic profile make him a perfect match in Vrabel’s defensive system.

Consensus Board Ranking: #76 Overall (#13 EDGE)

Another pass-rush specialist, Romello Height (6’3”, 239 lbs.) used a relentlessly violent approach to win on over 21% of his pass rushing snaps in 2025 with long strides to gain angular advantages against slower offensive linemen and penetrate into the backfield for constant pressure on opposing quarterbacks. His weight limitations and injury history will shy some teams away, but he brings great value on Day 2 as an “effort and finish” player that can work his way into the lineup alongside Harold Landry III and Dre’Mont Jones.

Consensus Board Ranking: #89 Overall (#7 S)

At 6’3”, 203 lbs., Zakee Wheatley projects as a downhill thumper at the safety position with the versatility to be effective from multiple different alignments and the length to be a dependable open-field tackler. He can show more physicality as in run support and will need time to improve his anticipation of play development, but he’s shown great potential including a 16 tackle, one interception, one pass breakup performance against Notre Dame in the 2025 Orange Bowl.

Consensus Board Ranking: #90 Overall (#15 EDGE)

Keyron Crawford began his football journey as a high school senior and broke out in 2025 at Auburn with 36 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble en route to Third-Team All-SEC honors. At 6’4”, 253 lbs., the former basketball player is a raw athlete that plays with great short-area quickness, play strength, and bend as a pass rusher, but is still developing his instincts and execution as a run defender. Crawford is a moldable player with a high-motor and athletic upside, and could come at a great value for the Patriots on Day 2 if higher-ranked edge rushers come off the board early.

Consensus Board Ranking: #188 Overall (#21 EDGE)

An uber-athletic prospect that has transitioned positions several times (WR, TE, EDGE), George Gumbs brings great size (6’4”, 245 lbs.) and explosiveness (4.66 second 40-yard dash, 41” vertical jump) to the edge with Day 3 value. He’ll need to continue refining the fundamentals required to be a dependable three-down player at the next level, but his ever-expanding catalog of rush moves, relentless motor, and natural athleticism make him a high-upside swing at a key position of need late in the draft.

Consensus Board Ranking: #461 Overall (#51 CB)

Karon Prunty has been tested by opposing quarterbacks consistently over stops at Kansas, North Carolina A&T, and Wake Forest during his college career, but has 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 can show more aggressiveness when playing off-coverage and oftentimes gets out-muscled for the football at the catch point, but his short-area quickness and awareness of route progressions allows him to be in the right place to make plays more often than not. 

Consensus Board Ranking: #577 Overall (#15 S)

Malik Spencer may not be a highly ranked prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft, but he is an experienced one. In three years as a primary contributor on defense at Michigan State, Spencer accrued 172 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, 13 pass breakups and two interceptions, aligning as a hybrid safety with an almost equal snap distribution as a deep safety (724 snaps) and box defender (630). He has limitations in size (6’0”, 197 lbs.), struggles to effectively mirror receivers in man-to-man coverage, and has been inconsistent in run support, but plays with a willingness to seek the play out and make his presence felt. He’d be added depth at safety as a potential seventh round pick/undrafted rookie free agent.

Consensus Board Ranking: Unranked

A projected late Day 3 selection that began his collegiate career at South Alabama, Jacobs showed promise as a physical, downhill linebacker that totaled eight sacks and 16 tackles for loss with Missouri. With untapped potential, Jacobs could fill in as much-needed depth behind starters Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss at off-ball linebacker and provide immediate value on special teams for New England.

The Patriots’ combine-rumored affinity for adding talent on the defensive side of the ball early in the draft is mirrored through the rankings of their Top 30 Visits. 

With several edge rushers highlighting their meetings with top-100 consensus players, it looks more and more like New England will be prioritizing adding some juice to a pass rush that ranked 24th in the NFL last season with a premium pick later this month.

On the offensive side, the focus will be on adding long-term developmental talent that grows around Drake Maye and provides stability around rooms filled with soon-expiring contracts. 

Which Top 30 Visit prospects jump off the page to you? Who do you want to see the Patriots target in the 2026 NFL Draft? Let us know in the comments section below.

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