New England enters the 2026 draft with 11 picks, including 31st overall and three top-100 selections. Here’s the full inventory, where the volume sits (especially on Day 3), and what those specific slots mean on the board.
The New England Patriots are turning the page to the 2026 offseason, and have the salary cap space and draft assets to bolster their young Super Bowl LX roster.
Yesterday, we took a look at the in-house free agents that New England may look to retain with their roughly $42 million in cap space in our Examining the 2026 New England Patriots’ Upcoming Free Agents.
Today, we’ll be overviewing the 2026 NFL Draft, where the Patriots currently own the rights to 11 selections. Here’s a closer look at each of them:
- Round 1 (Pick 31)
- Round 2 (Pick 63)
- Round 3 (Pick 95)
- Round 4 (Pick 125 via Chicago, from Kansas City)
- Round 4 (Pick 131)
- Round 5 (Pick 169)
- Round 6 (Pick 190 via Kansas City in Josh Uche trade)
- Round 6 (Pick 201 via Pittsburgh in Kyle Dugger trade)
- Round 6 (Pick 208 via San Francisco in Keion White trade)
- Round 6 (Pick 211)
- Round 7 (Pick 247)
While the number of total draft picks the Patriots own is eye-popping, they only hold the rights to three top-100 selections — the typical allotment for NFL teams. The vast majority of their selections come on Day 3, where New England holds the rights to eight selections as things currently stand.
More likely than not, the Patriots will look to trade off one or more of those picks during free agency in an attempt to build further depth on the roster. Or, they’ll use them in trade packages on draft day — to move up the board in the earlier rounds or stockpile future assets for 2027 and beyond.
That’s usually the case with this many late picks, and it was last year for New England. It could also be applicable earlier in the draft, as well.
Sitting at the 31st overall pick, the Patriots are in an ideal position to trade back to the top of the second round and gain more draft capital, as at least one or two teams will want to jump ahead of others on the board to select a player they covet and retain a fifth-year option on their contract before the top of the second round hits.
Although it may be more of a longshot, New England could also use that 31st pick as a trade asset for a particular player they identify as a high-profile trade target — like Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett, or A.J. Brown, to name just a few.
We’ll be reviewing last year’s draft strategy later on, and how that may be an indication of moves to come in the weeks and months ahead. But one thing is for sure: the Patriots have an abundance of draft capital in 2026, and not that many holes to fill with it.
It’ll be interesting to see how New England navigates movement around the draft board in 2026 — they have the opportunity to fortify the strong foundation they laid for a new-look Patriots team first led by Mike Vrabel in 2025.
What will the Patriots do with their 11 draft picks? How many trades might we see?
We’ll be taking a closer look at how New England's strategy in the 2025 NFL Draft may have been foreshadowing for what's to come next, and reviewing potential player movement — both internal and external — for the offseason in the coming days.
Stay tuned for that and more on Patriots Roundtable.
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