After the initial wave of free agency, the Patriots roster heading into the 2026 NFL Draft is starting to take shape amid tons of activity in the veteran market over the last several weeks.
New England added immediate contributors in WR Romeo Doubs, EDGE Dre’Mont Jones, G Alijah Vera-Tucker, and All-Pro S Kevin Byard, while also upgrading at fullback (Reggie Gilliam) and signing a tight end (Julian Hill) to add some physicality on offense. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel noted that he wants his young offense to get stronger this offseason and New England's signing of a starting guard, fullback, and blocking tight end seems to follow suit.
As we turn our attention to their draft approach, the looming question hanging over the Patriots draft plans is a reported pursuit of Eagles star WR A.J. Brown. New England has reportedly been in contact with Philly about trading for Brown, who would give them a bona fide No. 1 receiver to play alongside Doubs to form a legitimate one-two punch. From a financial standpoint, it makes more sense for the Eagles to trade Brown after June 1st, when the dead money remaining on his contract would be lessened on the Eagles cap sheet.
Without knowing exactly where things stand on the Brown front, predicting the Patriots draft strategy, which is already difficult to do, is even more challenging. If the Patriots trade for Brown, it would drastically change the need to pursue a top receiver in April's draft. Let's say Brown is on the roster, then New England would have seven viable roster candidates under contract: Brown, Doubs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, DeMario Douglas, and Efton Chism III – suddenly, a position of clear strength for the Pats.
If the Brown trade goes down, it lessens the need for the Patriots to draft a receiver in the top-100, if at all, seeing that New England wouldn't have room for everyone on its roster. However, in a world where Brown doesn't end up on the Patriots by September, the Pats remain in search of high-end receiver talent; the difference between not drafting any receivers and possibly selecting a receiver with the 31st overall pick comes down to A.J. Brown's future.
Given that the Brown pursuit is a major wildcard, we'll use mock draft 1.0 as an exercise to project a Patriots draft under the assumption that Brown will eventually end up in New England.
First Round, 31st Overall - OT Blake Miller, Clemson
I've been reluctant to buy into the idea of drafting a redshirt rookie in just the second year of roster-building for head coach Mike Vrabel and personnel chief Eliot Wolf. The Patriots used to do these things during the dynasty era when their roster was stacked and they had Tom Brady at quarterback. Although the team is headed in a great direction, I'm not sure they're ready to draft-and-stash first-round picks rather than selecting for immediate impact, with Miller likely backing up 35-year-old RT Morgan Moses as a rookie.
However, there's logic to selecting Miller. New England needs to start prepping for life after Moses and its tackle depth behind Moses and starting LT Will Campbell is thin. The draft is also much deeper at immediate positions of need (EDGE) but extremely shallow at tackle. If the goal is to get Moses's replacement in-house this offseason, it's hard to envision doing that without using the 31st overall pick on his successor. If the Clemson tackle is selected before the Patriots are on the clock, they can easily pivot to Arizona State's Max Iheanachor here.
As for Miller, his game has shades of Ravens OT Roger Rosengarten as a well-schooled technician. Miller made 54 starts at right tackle for Clemson, starting every game since his true freshman season. He's quick out of his stance to cut off the angle to the quarterback, forcing rushers to widen their path around his outside edge. His punches stall initial rush moves, he has foot speed to carry rushers around the arc and is an athletic run blocker with a 9.90 relative athletic score. You'd like to see him add play strength to improve his anchor and power, but that can come in time since he'll have a year to develop his 6-7, 317-pound frame.
By selecting Miller, the Patriots would have the best offensive line depth that they've had in years, with Campbell and Miller projecting as starting tackles for the foreseeable future.
Second Round, 63rd Overall - EDGE Derrick Moore, Michigan
The Patriots addressed the edge position by signing Jones in free agency and are returning starter Harold Landry III, but getting an influx of talent with pass-rush upside is still on the to-do list. New England also seemed to open the door for a top-100 draft pick to join the defense by releasing veteran Anfernee Jennings and opting not to re-sign K'Lavon Chaisson, their leading pressure-producer during their run to Super Bowl LX – all signs point to an EDGE early.
With that in mind, there are several different prospects the Patriots could target on day two. This time, we'll focus on Moore, a speed-to-power menace who fits New England's mold at 6-4, 255 pounds. Moore is a power-oriented player but racked up pressures at Michigan by bull-rushing tackles with good first-step explosiveness, rolled hips, and long arms into contact. With tackles bracing for his power, he catches them over-setting with inside counters, and he's a playmaking run defender with great instincts. Moore projects as a full-time starter, with Gabe Jacas (Illinois) and Keyron Crawford (Auburn) as other day-two possibilities.
Third Round, 95th overall - TE Oscar Delp, Georgia
New England added a plus-run blocking tight end in free agency in Hill, who will upgrade their rushing attack, but the future at the position remains on the radar with Hunter Henry entering his age-32 season. Henry has been a rock-solid Patriot, but like Moses at right tackle, it's time to start planning for the future.
The pre-draft hype train for the Georgia product is at full steam after Delp ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash at his Pro Day with a 9.82 relative athletic score at 6-5, 245 pounds. Delp uses instant burst off the line to challenge second-level defenders, generates yards after the catch with great open-field speed, and is a solid blocker in space with the grit to compete in the run game. He's an exciting prospect, but with only 20 catches for 261 yards last season, we're projecting that his receiving production will take off in the pros. That's not a bad bet, but it leaves me skeptical that he'll go as high as some are predicting.
Fourth Round, 125th overall - S Bud Clark, TCU
Continuing the theme of drafting to stay a year ahead of roster attrition, the Patriots reportedly signed All-Pro S Kevin Byard to a one-year deal as he enters his age-33 season. As leading the league in interceptions last season can attest, Byard can still ball, but New England could use a long-term wingman for second-year standout Craig Woodson. The Pats also didn't feature many three-safety packages, which are becoming all the rage right now in the NFL, so a rookie safety could find immediate snaps in big nickel or dime packages.
Clark is one of "my guys" in the safety class because of his cover skills. He has great range (4.41s 40), ball skills (15 career INTs), and was deployed very similarly to how the Pats use their safeties. Clark is comfortable ranging over the top from post or split-safety zones, manning up or matching routes from depth, and filling the alleys in run support, which is exactly what he'll be asked to do in New England. Clark isn't the most physically imposing safety, but he'd cover a lot of grass on the back end with Woodson.
Fourth Round 131st overall - LB Aiden Fisher, Indiana
The last spot we'll draft with the future in mind is at off-ball linebacker, where captain Robert Spillane enters his age-31 season. Spillane is the on-field coordinator of the Patriots defense, but New England moved on from veterans Jack Gibbens and Jahlani Tavai seemingly to open the door for a rookie to carve out a role behind or next to Spillane and Christian Elliss (K.J. Britt could replace snaps left behind by Gibbens and Tavai on special teams). Again, the idea is to draft for immediate depth and future starting upside, with the goal of eventually replacing key veterans.
Fisher plays the position like Spillane as the field general for the reigning national champs. He's not the biggest (6-1, 232) or fastest, but his instincts and competitiveness are off the charts. Fisher has a nose for the football as a run defender, is an excellent zone-dropper to take away reads over the middle of the field and is a well-schooled interior blitzer. He'll push for playing time next to Spillane and could eventually be New England's starting MIKE linebacker.
TRADE: No. 190, Sixth Round and No. 201, Sixth Round for No. 160, Fifth Round
The Patriots have a surplus of day-three picks with four selections in the sixth round. Since it doesn't feel like they have many open roster spots, a pick-consolidation trade makes sense.
Fifth Round, 160th overall (via Packers) - DT Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
New England opted not to re-sign NT Khyiris Tonga in free agency, with the 2025 standout joining the Chiefs. The Pats still have frontline stars in Christian Barmore and Milton Williams, with projected role players Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer, and Leonard Taylor III in the mix. However, it would make sense to tap a deep traditional nose tackle to get another wide-bodied run stuffer on the roster in a similar mold to Tonga. Corleone fits the mold as a 340-pound space eater who will clog rushing lanes and hold the point of attack. The Cincinnati product will be a situational run-stuffer without much pass-rush juice. A bout with blood clots (2024) could hurt his draft stock, so he slides a bit here to fill Tonga's role in New England.
Fifth Round, 169th overall - RB Adam Randall, Clemson
The Patriots could use some running back depth after releasing veteran Antonio Gibson, who missed most of last season with a significant knee injury. New England never seemed to settle its third running back spot after Gibson's injury, and it also had a trickle-down effect on their kickoff returns. The easiest way to describe Randall's game is to say it has shades of Cordarrelle Patterson. He's a huge athlete (6-3, 232) with wide receiver size and running back instincts and speed (4.5s 40). Randall could contribute as an offensive weapon and kickoff returner, giving the Patriots another skill set to play with at running back.
Sixth Round, 208th overall - G Micah Morris, Georgia
The Patriots have invested heavily in their interior offensive line with two highly paid guards and a recent top-100 pick at center. Plus, they signed super-sub Ben Brown to an extension last season. Still, starting RG Mike Onwenu is in a contract year and starting LT Alijah Vera-Tucker has an injury history. Morris is an intriguing flier because of his massive frame (6-5, 334), elite athletic profile (9.97 RAS), and raw power. If he can learn to play with lower pads and a wider base, Morris has huge upside.
Sixth Round, 211th overall - QB Haynes King, Georgia Tech
The Patriots released veteran backup Joshua Dobbs, clearing a path for Tommy DeVito to be Drake Maye's top backup. New England will still likely have at least three quarterbacks to divvy up preseason snaps and possibly be the emergency third quarterback, so one would expect a draft pick is coming. King is a fun prospect because he's an elite athlete with a 9.59 RAS, a 4.46s 40-yard dash, and 953 rushing yards to go along with 15 rushing touchdowns. King could be a dual-threat QB or possibly switch positions in the NFL, with the Taysom Hill comparison being an easy one here.
Seventh Round, 247th overall - T/G Logan Taylor, Boston College
The Patriots add one more offensive lineman from the Boston College pipeline down the street in Chestnut Hill. Taylor isn't the best mover, but he has four-position flexibility, starting at every position except center. Taylor is going to win with his raw power and sturdy anchor. He's a bit high-cut with a higher natural pad level for guard, but his playing style suggests he'll likely stick inside as a pro. Either way, Taylor could be a solid interior backup at either guard spot or possibly right tackle.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
