Well, the dealin's done, as the poet once said. Mockery is done and dusted; the picks are in. So, how are we feeling, Patriots Nation?
The Patriots used their draft capital to make their Day 1 and 2 picks matter. Day 3 was a whole lot of who, what, and huh, but that was pretty much true for the other 31 franchises as well.
I'm providing a link to my final mock, for easy reference as I'll be comparing picks along the way. So... Let's go!
The Patriots Picks
1.28 Caleb Lomu, OT
Lomu was not on my radar and really should've been. Big, athletic, and with the shorter arms the Patriots prefer for their offensive tackles. (I kid because I care.) With Will Campbell and Morgan Moses holding down the starting jobs, Lomu can learn in 2026, hit the weight room, play some TE3 in short yardage situations, and provide injury insurance for the starters.
NOTE: On my Big Boards, Patriots picks IRL are in bold red; my mock draft picks are in bold blue.
My Big Board for OT (in draft order):
Kadyn Procter - 1.12 Miami
Actually fell to 1.31 in some of my mocks
Blake Miller - 1.17 Detroit
Liked Miller over Iheanachor; Miller was a frequent flier at 1.31 in my mocks
Max Iheanachor - 1.21 Pittsburgh
Austin Barber - 2.86 Cleveland
One of my favorites, a frequent flier in 3rd round of my mocks
Jude Bowry - 4.102 Buffalo
Travis Burke - 4.117 LAC [my mock pick 191]
Demetrius Crownover 6.196 New England
Diego Pounds- UDFA Baltimore [my mock pick 171]
I used my first round pick (1.31) on Zion Young, Edge. As I admitted in my final mock, I gave into the wisdom of crowds on that one. I think the Patriots did the right thing in taking an offensive tackle with their first round pick.
2.55 Gabe Jacas, Edge
Jacas was on my big board but not a frequent flier in my mocks as I generally went Edge in the first round. I would note that I couldn't help but think of Willie McGinest watching his highlight reel. Yes, that's me wishcasting.
My Big Board for Edge Defenders (in draft order)
Malachi Lawrence - 1.23 Dallas
I liked Lawrence but wouldn't have traded up for him
Keldric Faulk - 1.31 Houston
Never dropped out of the top 20 in my mocks
T.J. Parker - 2.35 Buffalo
Coin flip for me for Parker vs. Zion Young
R Mason Thomas - 2.40 KC
Cashius Howell - 2.41 Cincinnati
Zion Young - 2.45 Baltimore [my mock pick 31]
Gabe Jacas - 2.55 New England
Romello Height - 3.70 San Fran
Jaishawn Barham - 3.92 Dallas
Frequent 4th round pick in my mocks
Dani Dennis-Sutton - 4.120 GB
Fell in and out of love with Dennis-Sutton during mock draft season
Mason Reiger - UDFA Miami
Going to hate seeing this guy sack Drake Maye
3.95 Eli Raridon, TE
Love this pick! And not just because I also took Raridon in my final mock draft. Raridon is a big, fast, athletic, 3-down tight end. Totally psyched to see 12 personnel with Raridon and Hunter Henry. Ah, the good old days of the New England TE Party are back, baby! And 100% less murdery!
I did take a WR with my third pick, Skyler Bell (UConn), but definitely happy with the Pats pick. I could see him in a Stefon Diggs' role.
My Big Board for TE (in draft order):
TE Eli Stowers - 2.54 Philly
TE Marlin Klein - 2.59 Houston
TE Max Klare 2.61 LAR
Oscar Delp 3.73 NO
Struggled to believe the hype when it came to Delp
TE Eli Raridon 3.95 New England [my mock pick 125]
TE1 in my mocks; the only match from my mock with the Patriots IRL draft
TE Tanner Koziol - 5.164 Jax
Also liked Koziol a lot
TE Dallen Bentley - 7.256 Denver
5.171 Caron Prunty, CB
Prunty wasn't on my radar. He wasn't on my planet. And from what I've read he wasn't on anybody's big board outside of 1 Patriots Place. Does this make it a bad pick? Well, yes. I would occasionally mock a CB to the Patriots but it was usually RAS monster Ephesians Prysock (who went in the 4th round to the 49ers). In other words, I didn't have a Big Board for defensive backs.
I think it's worth noting that Prunty is one of several older prospects the Pats drafted. I wonder if this might not be strategic. Obviously, you'd like to maximize the value of the picks so younger prospects are ideal, except there's that second contract where, if the player has progressed, you'll have to pay a premium to keep. By drafting older players, you're hoping to get more mature young men, better able to handle the demands of the sport. Maybe they're married. Maybe they have a child. They invested. They'll show up on time, having studied their playbook. You might also be getting their peak physical years (24-29) on their cheapest contract.
Not sure any of that is supported by actual data; probably just me trying to rationalize these Patriots 2026 Day 3 draft picks
With the trades the Patriots made, giving up picks along the way, I have some picks from my mock to catch up on.
As noted above, I took WR Skyler Bell (at 95 - he went to Buffalo in the 4th round), TE Eli Raridon (125), RAS Monster DT DeMonte Capehart (131 - Tampa Bay in the 5th), and OT/OG Diego Pounds (171 - UDFA Baltimore).
Since we've already hit my Edge Defender big board, how about…
My Big Board for WR (in draft order):
WR KC Concepcion 1.24 Cleveland
Wasn't buying the hype, happy to miss this one
WR De'Zhaun Stribling - 2.33 San Fran
Like Stribling a lot (and he had a 30 visit with the Pats)
WR Caleb Douglas - 3.75 Miami (212 on my mock)
Liked Douglas obviously on Day 3
WR Ja'Kobi Lane - 3.80 Baltimore
WR Ted Hurst - 3.84 Tampa Bay
WR Skyler Bell - 4.125 Buffalo (95 on my mock)
WR Bryce Lance - 4.136 NO
Love, love, love this guy; frequent 3rd round mock target
WR Kendrick Law - 5.168 Detroit
WR Jeff Caldwell - UDFA KC
Also really liked Caldwell and it's going to kill me if I was right about him
WR J. Michael Sturdevant - UDFA GB
6.196 Dametrious Crownover, OT
I liked this pick a lot. I'm seeing a near future with Caleb Lomu at RG and Crownover at RT. I know highlight reels are curated but Crownover's game play looks better than his measurables and as measurables go, it's hard to beat: 6' 7", 320 pounds, 35" arms, with a 5.19 40-yard dash.
At 191, I took Travis Burke (Chargers 4th round pick), a similarly built OT so yeah. I like this pick.
At 198, I took RB Roman Hemby (UDFA Vegas), as a James White-type RB3.
At 202, OG Logan Taylor (6th round, Chargers); athletic technician and a local prospect (Boston College).
6.212 Namdi Obiazor, LB
Yeah, I got nothing.
I felt like LB was the biggest need for the Patriots after Edge Defender and O-Line (I discounted WR as it feels like at this point A.J. Brown to the Patriots is inevitable). It's why I was elated to find Jake Golday in the second round of my mock (he was Minnesota's second round pick).
Obiazor feels like an attempt to refill Marte Mapu's role; a sort of LB/Safety hybrid. Feels like the Pats have been trying to solve the LB/Safety hybrid calculus for twenty-six years now.
My Big Board for LB (in draft order):
LB Jake Golday - 2.52 Minn
My favorite LB in the draft (obvi)
LB Anthony Hill, Jr. - 2.60 Tenn
Would've been almost as happy with Hill as I was with Golday
LB Kaleb Elams-Orr - 4.126 Buffalo
Last really good LB on the board IMHO
LB Kyle Louis - 4.138 Miami
LB Jack Kelly - 6.193 NYG
Frequent 7th round pick in my mocks as a poor man's Robert Spillane
I took WR Caleb Douglas with pick 212. He went to Miami in the third round. We obviously had different grades on the Texas Tech wideout.
7.234 Behren Morton, QB
I did pick a QB3 for the Patriots in several of my mocks with Cole Payton, a RAS monster who completed 70% of his passes for North Dakota State U in 2025 (drafted by Philadelphia in the 5th round; probably a better backup fit for Jalen Hurts than for Drake Maye).
Morton's highlight reel has him looking a bit like a poor man's Drake Maye in play style (though not as big or strong or athletic), so there's that.
7.245 Jam Miller, RB
Okay, as noted above, I did draft an RB. I was looking for a 3rd down, pass-catching RB (Drake Maye needs weapons!) and Miller is not that. He was a starter for Alabama (SEC) and from digging in a little bit I'd have to say he is slightly above average. Fast but not the fastest. Athletic but not a RAS monster. The numbers were better in his junior year and while they don't jump off the page, Miller does look like he could catch the ball, too. A kind of "well rounded" back who is more like Rhamondre Stevenson than James White.
7.247 Quintayvious Hutchins
Cross your fingers and hope the Patriots brain trust saw something in Hutchins at BC's pro day that will translate to a rotational role on the edge for the Pats in 2026.
I wonder if New England might see Hutchins as more of a stand up linebacker than a hand in the dirt edge.
I had a pick in my mock at 247 that I spent on safety Lorenzo Styles, Jr., who I found very late in my mock draft journey. Given his wicked fast 40 (4.27) and the Ohio State/Vrabel connection, I thought Styles could contribute on special teams as a gunner to start. The Saints thought a little more highly of Styles, taking him in the 5th round.
That's the draft class; the Patriots have been adding talent via the UDFA pipeline as well, but rather than try to break down that in detail, I will say there are some intriguing undrafted rookies with a chance to make the Patriots 2026 roster (OL Jacob Rizy, CB Channing Canada, WR Cameron Dorner).
Now comes the hardest part; the waiting. Feels like a long time till September. Let's hope we all make it there.
Go Pats!
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