Free agency has been helpful in some areas for the team, including at fullback, safety and offensive guard\u2014three glaring positions of need where they’ve improved the most. But everyone knows the heart of any successful rebuild comes through the draft.<\/p>\n
It will ultimately fall on Patriots<\/a> coach Mike Vrabel and the front office staff to make the right decisions when selecting young talent coming out of college. The team will enter the 2026 NFL Draft with 11 picks, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see all of them used to help round out the roster depth.<\/p>\n Here’s my first seven-round 2026 NFL mock draft:<\/p>\n Round 1, Pick No. 31: Max Iheanachor, T, Arizona State<\/p>\n Morgan Moses was great last year, but at 35 years old, the Patriots would be one injury away from disaster in 2026. There aren’t a lot of options at offensive tackle, and the team choosing to draft another one in the first round for a second straight year would come with the inevitable eye rolls.<\/p>\n Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.<\/a><\/p>\n But one look at the team’s postseason run and it’s clear that their Achilles heel was the inability to protect Drake Maye at quarterback. Max Iheanachor would bring an elite blend of power and athleticism to help keep Maye upright for years to come.<\/p>\n Round 2, Pick No. 63: Derrick Moore, EDGE, Michigan<\/p>\n Dre’Mont Jones should be a solid free agent addition to the defensive front, but the Patriots desperately need youth in the mix. Michigan’s Derrick Moore is a powerful defender who specializes in getting after the quarterback. He racked up 10 sacks and 10.5 tackles for a loss last season. The arrow is pointing way up on Moore coming out of college.<\/p>\n Round 3, Pick No. 95: Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame<\/p>\n Unless the Patriots have a trade deal under the table with the Philadelphia Eagles for star wide receiver A.J. Brown, they need to approach this draft with the reality that they still don’t have a No. 1 wideout. Malachi Fields is a 6-foot-4, 218-pound contested catch machine. He is a sure-handed receiver capable of serving on the boundary and as a consistent red zone target.<\/p>\n Round 4, Pick No. 125: Jack Endries, TE, Texas<\/p>\n Tight end is a sneaky need for the Patriots this offseason with Austin Hooper signing with the Falcons and Hunter Henry being 31 years old. The team doesn’t have a reliable young tight end waiting in the wings behind Henry to make an impact on offense. Texas’ Jack Endries could use some work on his blocking, but he’s a slippery receiving target capable of serving as an extra safety blanket on the field for Drake Maye.<\/p>\n Round 4, Pick No. 131: Chris McClellan, DT, Missouri<\/p>\n Khyiris Tonga was one of the most underrated players on the Patriots’ defense last season. Now that he’s in Kansas City, New England will have to find another run-stuffer to block up lanes and ruin carries from ever getting to the second level. Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan would be the perfect option to utilize as a young rotational piece on the Patriots’ defense.<\/p>\n Round 5, Pick No. 171: Jeremiah Wright, G, Auburn<\/p>\n There’s not much to dislike about the Patriots signing Alijah Vera-Tucker in free agency, outside of his long injury history. Jeremiah Wright is an absolute specimen at 6-foot-5 and 337 pounds. He’s a raw prospect who needs some fine-tuning, but the physical attributes are off the charts for this Auburn standout. If he puts everything together, he could be a major draft steal.<\/p>\n Round 6, Pick No. 191: Michael Taaffe, S, Texas<\/p>\n The Patriots upgraded at safety by signing First-Team All-Pro Kevin Byard in free agency. However, Byard turns 33 years old this year, and he’s playing on a one-year deal. Texas’ Michael Taaffe would be a solid depth player with the ability to grow into a more prominent contributor on the team. He’s an instinctual player who could learn a lot from sitting behind an elite safety like Byard for a season.<\/p>\n Round 6, Pick No. 198: Quintayvious Hutchins, EDGE, Boston College<\/p>\n It’s no secret that the Patriots love to filter in players from Boston College. They get another shot to do so here by taking edge rusher Quintayvious Hutchins in the sixth round of the draft. It makes sense for the Patriots to double dip at edge rusher given the lack of depth at the position. The hope here is that both Moore and Hutchins could serve as the needed fresh legs to help spark the edge defense.<\/p>\n Round 6, Pick No. 202: Matt Gulbin, C, Michigan State<\/p>\n With Garrett Bradbury gone, the Patriots are expected to move Jared Wilson to center. Ben Brown could serve as a top backup, or the team could keep him at guard and draft a young center. Matt Gulbin is a nasty run blocker with strong pass protection skills. He’s a true center in every sense and a strong depth addition who should make the offensive line better.<\/p>\n Round 6, Pick No. 212: Harold Perkins Jr., LB, LSU<\/p>\n Harold Perkins Jr. is in danger of sliding down the draft board due to being undersized at 6-foot-1 and 222 pounds. He has elite speed that could be used as a weapon if he can overcome the size gap. The All-SEC linebacker was an impact playmaker who spent his entire college career shutting up doubters. But can he do it at the next level?<\/p>\n Round 7, Pick No. 248: Joey Aguilar, QB, Tennessee<\/p>\n The Patriots moved on from one former Tennessee quarterback in Joshua Dobbs and land another with Joey Aguilar. They are set with Drake Maye and Tommy DeVito as their top-two quarterback options. But the team still needs a No. 3 quarterback to develop behind the scenes. Aguilar’s poise and experience make him one of the more interesting quarterback options in this year’s draft. He threw for 3,565 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his first year with the Volunteers last season.<\/p>\n Follow Patriots Wire on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"March 27, 2026, 5:51 p.m. ET The New England Patriots might be coming off a Super Bowl berth,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":838634,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2050],"tags":[95878,7,1167,249,2326,2094,6,208,96851,96852,97116,95882,96127,97710,96853,95896,96854,95888,95906,95883,95881],"class_list":{"0":"post-838633","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-england-patriots","8":"tag-accessfree","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-new-england","11":"tag-new-england-patriots","12":"tag-newengland","13":"tag-newenglandpatriots","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-patriots","16":"tag-sstssportsnflpatriots","17":"tag-sstsnpatriots","18":"tag-tag2026-nfl-draft","19":"tag-tagamerican-football","20":"tag-tagdrake-maye","21":"tag-tagfantasy-sports","22":"tag-tagmike-vrabel","23":"tag-tagnational-sports","24":"tag-tagnew-england-patriots","25":"tag-tagnfl","26":"tag-tagoverall-positive","27":"tag-tagsports-news","28":"tag-typestory"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116305739703510251","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/838633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=838633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/838633\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/838634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=838633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=838633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=838633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774684524_190_86371878007-cardis-1.jpg\")