Since 2017, there’s only been one NFL Draft in which at least one former Notre Dame tight end did not get selected. Eli Raridon made sure it wouldn’t be two.
The New England Patriots selected Raridon in the third round on Friday night. He was the 95th overall pick.
Raridon had a back-heavy career at Notre Dame. He was injured for the year after five games as a true freshman. As a sophomore and junior, he was behind 2025 NFL Draft pick Mitchell Evans on the depth chart. Then he finally got his shot to be the Fighting Irish’s No. 1 tight end, and he produced 32 catches for 482 yards in that role. He was third on the team in both areas.
Raridon what seems to be so rare in this era of college athletics — a legit four-year senior. He showed up in 2022 and played through the 2025 season. Then it was off to the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine, and he did well for himself to further get his name out there as a legit draft prospect. He had to do something to make up for not catching any touchdown passes in his senior season at Notre Dame.
That’s one of the more puzzling statistics tied to this year’s crop of potential draftees. If you watched Raridon for an entire game in 2025, you’d have thought he’d score at least a couple touchdowns throughout the season. Oddly, he didn’t. But he was still effective from week to week as someone who could be counted on to come up with a big reception or two. His catches always seemed of the first-down variety. He’s an excellent pass catcher for possession-keeping purposes.
Raridon didn’t leave Notre Dame with Michael Mayer-type numbers, as was the hope of many, but the second ACL injury in a 10-month span in his first season was the kind of setback that can reshape expectations. He fell behind Evans in the pecking order in the time he was out, and he never ascended to TE1 status until he was a senior.
Even with all of that, Raridon left Notre Dame with 48 catches for 623 catches and 3 touchdowns. He was a trusted asset in the running game for the Irish, which, with 2026 first round draft choices Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price as the team’s top two tailbacks the last two seasons, was obviously a special operation to be a part of.
That’s really the story for Raridon at the onset of his professional career; he was a strong and important piece of a program that only grew in national prominence for as long as he was there. Now, he aims to be a similar component to an NFL franchise that’s taking a shot on him and investing in his future.