At the conclusion of the 2026 NFL Draft, there was a different feel to the Patriots rookie class than in recent years.

Following a trip to the Super Bowl, New England had the 31st pick in the 2026 draft, with far fewer glaring holes on a win-now roster that would eventually add star wideout A.J. Brown to the reinforcements the AFC champs already acquired in free agency. After consecutive drafts in which they picked third overall (QB Drake Maye) and fourth overall (OT Will Campbell), expectations were much lower for the 2026 rookie class.

As a result, the feeling was that the Patriots draft choices wouldn't necessarily contribute right out of the gate, at least not in the same way that Maye and Campbell did as year-one starters. In the first three rounds, the Pats drafted OT Caleb Lomu (28th overall) and TE Eli Raridon (95th overall) to develop as eventual successors to veterans Morgan Moses (35) and Hunter Henry (31). Second-round edge rusher Gabe Jacas had a more direct path to playing time but that was somewhat halted by a delay in Jacas signing his rookie contract.

The 55th overall pick finally signed his rookie deal on July 26 and participated in his first camp practice on Aug. 1. From this perspective, Jacas is still the most-likely rookie contributor due to his pro-ready skill set and a thinner position group on the edge of the defense, where Harold Landry III (PUP) has yet to practice this summer. Jacas could immediately be in a rotation with projected starter Dre'Mont Jones and second-year pro Elijah Ponder. As we'll outline in greater detail below, Lomu seems headed for a year as the Patriots primary swing tackle and sixth offensive lineman in jumbo packages.

The wild card is Raridon, who, along with undrafted rookie Tanner Arkin, has had a strong start to camp. Following a season-ending injury in the spring to TE Julian Hill, the Pats held off on signing a veteran to replace Hill to give their third-round rookie a chance to win the backup role behind Henry. Although putting too much on a rookie's plate at a complex position like tight end is a factor, Raridon might have more opportunities than originally thought due to Hill's injury allowing him to elevate up the depth chart, especially in the passing game, while Arkin could contribute in run situations.

Here's a thought on all nine draft picks and the undrafted rookies making a strong first impression at Patriots training camp.

OT Caleb Lomu

Lomu is continuing the same program we've seen since the spring, where he's repping mostly at right tackle while sprinkling in reps as the sixth offensive lineman and at left tackle. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has also indicated that we could eventually see Lomu cross-train at guard. With the 35-year-old Moses on a load management plan, Lomu has been the team's top right tackle at times, but second-year pro Marcus Bryant replaced starter Will Campbell (limited) at left tackle in Thursday's session (Lomu was practicing at LT in Friday's scrimmage).

The most likely explanation for Bryant getting the bump-up to LT1 over Lomu was that the coaching staff might not have wanted to disrupt Lomu's regimen with Campbell limited, so they opted to keep the rookie's practice reps the same. However, Lomu has also had some ups and downs in recent practices. Mainly, he has had decisive losses to speed rushes, both outside speed/dip rushes and quick inside moves after getting opened up. It's very common for young tackles to have struggles in their first NFL training camps, as Campbell did last summer, so we'd preach patience with the Pats first-rounder right now.

EDGE Gabe Jacas

Although it took a while to see Jacas on the field, he has made a strong first impression, with his pro-ready physique being a topic of conversation from the head coach on down. Along with reporting in great shape, Jacas is repping over or outside the tackle from a two and three-point stance. Jacas's linear explosiveness to threaten outside speed and convert speed-to-power has been noticeable. On Thursday, the 22-year-old had two decisive wins in the pass rush, beating Lomu with outside speed (ghost rush) and Crownover with an inside rush, the latter of which pressured backup QB Tommy DeVito into an interception. In Friday's scrimmage, Jacas used a bull rush to walk OT Marcus Bryant back into the quarterback's lap. His lateral quickness also flashed when he beat Bryant inside to disrupt a run play. Jacas will need to keep stacking days but he's off to a good start — it would be huge for this defense if he's a year-one contributor.

TE Eli Raridon

Although it's been an encouraging start to camp for Raridon, we'd caution against projecting a high-volume role for the young tight end. Out of 17 tight ends drafted on day two since 2022, only two had over 50 catches as rookies: Sam LaPorta and Harold Fannin Jr. Only 3-of-17 had over 40 catches (Jets TE Mason Taylor). The average rookie season for a day-two draft pick at tight end is 25.8 catches, 272.5 receiving yards, and 2.1 TDs. The Pats rookie could fall in the outlier category but it's a notoriously slow-developing position.

The Notre Dame product's size, speed, and instincts as a receiver have impressed this summer. The Pats QBs have also expressed excitement about throwing to Raridon because of his large catch radius. He has shown a knack for finding soft spots against zone coverage, finishing in high-traffic areas, and hasn't looked out of place as a run blocker. In Friday's scrimmage, Raridon caught a seam pass off play-action from Drake Maye, a Pats staple, that showcased the "take off" routes where the rookie can add juice to the passing offense. Raridon could add a big-play, seam-stretching element in his rookie season.

CB Karon Prunty

As the Patriots first day-three draft choice, Prunty was considered a slight reach by draft experts in the fifth round. However, it looks like New England might've found a hidden gem to an extent, with Prunty standing out in practice for making plays on the ball, a skill that has carried over from his college tape. From this perspective, the rookie cornerback is the early leader to make the roster as the fifth corner behind Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III, Marcus Jones, and Charles Woods. Prunty, who has exclusively repped on the outside, has three camp interceptions and made a nice pass breakup on a go route target for A.J. Brown. Prunty has the height, weight, speed, and ball skills to possibly stick on the Patriots roster this season.

OT Dametrious Crownover

Crownover is in a similar situation to Prunty as a day-three prospect with intriguing tools, but he currently appears to be behind Campbell, Moses, Lomu, and second-year OT Marcus Bryant. Crownover has had some struggles with consistency in camp, but when his punches land, he ends the rep quickly with his length (35.38" arms) and heavy hands. The former High School tight end also seems to have the foot speed to stick at tackle in the league. Although he's likely in for a redshirt year, Crownover's physical traits are worth hanging onto to develop behind the scenes. He has some reps widening rushers around his outside edge and engulfing smaller defenders in the run game that are NFL-caliber.

LB Namdi Obiazor

Obiazor has spent most of the summer repping with the third-string defense and is trying to earn a role on special teams. He seems to have been passed on the depth chart by undrafted rookie Khalil Jacobs (more on Jacobs later) and isn't currently projected to make the initial roster from this perspective. The Pats have mostly leaned on Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, Chad Muma, K.J. Britt, and Jacobs at off-ball linebacker this summer. We'll see if Obiazor can use extended reps in the preseason games to begin making a roster push.

QB Behren Morton

The Patriots third quarterback has been taking opportunity reps behind Drake Maye and top backup Tommy DeVito this summer. He has shown quick processing and a snappy release on throws to the first level as a solid quick-game/RPO operator. However, things get more inconsistent for Morton when he's asked to push the ball downfield into tighter windows or on deep throws that tend to hang up on him. Morton's ability to read the field quickly and distribute the football within the scheme should be enough to carry him as the third quarterback (designated emergency QB on game days). DeVito and Morton are upgrades from what the Patriots had behind Maye in camp last summer (Joshua Dobbs, Ben Wooldridge).

RB Jam Miller

Miller was one of my earlier risers due to his processing and lateral quickness on runs between the tackles. He reads his blocks well to find clean entry points into the line of scrimmage, has the jump-cut ability to work gap-to-gap, and finishes runs well with power behind his pads. Although his timed speed was solid (4.42s 40), Miller's straight-line speed hasn't necessarily popped yet in practice, and we haven't seen him as much in the passing game. Over the last few practices, it's been mostly RBs Terrell Jennings and Lan Larison with DeVito's group, but we'll see if Miller can have a big preseason to make things interesting. The Alabama product also projects as a solid kickoff returner and coverage ace.

EDGE Quintayvious Hutchins

Speaking of special teams, Hutchins's college coaches down the street in Chestnut Hill believe the seventh rounder can make an NFL roster covering kicks. The 235-pound edge rusher has also flashed his ability to win with pure speed off the edge in 1-on-1 pass rush drills. Hutchins has logged decisive wins over Bryant, Lomu, and Crownover this summer with his speed around the edge and inside counters. Winning with speed can be flashy in camp practices but there's enough pass-rush juice off the edge to go along with Hutchins' special teams prowess to project him as a player with a chance to make the roster.

Quick-Hitters on the Undrafted Rookies

- Rookie TE Tanner Arkin is trending toward not only being on the Patriots roster but contributing to the offense as a blocking specialist (and likely special teams/field goal protection contributor). Arkin has landed several eye-popping run blocks, including putting Dre'Mont Jones and Milton Williams on the ground, and has sure enough hands to catch underneath targets in the flats or on boots. Arkin and Raridon could combine forces in situational roles behind Henry.

- LB Khalil Jacobs is another undrafted rookie with a real chance to make New England's roster. Vrabel pointed to Jacobs playing faster than his timed 40-yard dash speed (4.77s) due to his play recognition and anticipation. He scrapes over the top on run plays urgently to match the running back's movements and nearly intercepted a Morton pass in Friday's scrimmage. Jacobs is squarely in the mix as a depth linebacker behind Spillane, Elliss, and Muma.

- EDGE Xavier Holmes has logged enough pass-rush wins in team drills and 1-on-1s to land on my radar as a potential darkhorse to make the roster. As a rookie tryout player, Holmes impressed the coaches enough to extend his tryout into camp, and he plays with an aggressive play demeanor that Vrabel's staff covets. It'll be interesting to watch Holmes' preseason tape.

- CB Channing Canada had a productive practice in the bubble on Monday with several plays on the ball that earned him more looks with the second unit the rest of the week. Those didn't always go well, but Canada can play inside or outside, with the Patriots needing enough depth in the slot behind top nickel corner Marcus Jones.

- RB Myles Montgomery can scoot when he gets into the open field, WR Nick DeGennaro caught a fourth-down crossing route from Maye in Friday's scrimmage, and it's easier to evaluate the trenches off game tape than live viewings of practice (G JonDarius Morgan, C Jacob Rizy, DT David Blay) – some guys to watch for in next week's preseason opener.

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