The 2026 NFL Draft is officially less than three weeks away. So, instead of the usual questions submitted and answered in our #PostPulpit mailbag, we will be going through a batch of your own mock drafts \u2014 where we hopefully will comment on a vast majority of prospects, trades, and all sorts of scenarios.<\/p>\n
So with that, let\u2019s get into this week\u2019s #PostPulpit Mailbag.<\/p>\n
Sportzballer: No trades since that is complicated. A trade back or even a trade up at #31 is plausible depending on the board, and same for trades with the 4ths, but I\u2019m just gonna stick with what we got.<\/p>\n
#31 Max Iheanachor (OT)
#63 Malachi Lawrence (EDGE)
#95 Sam Roush (TE)
#125 Domani Jackson (CB)
#131 Jeff Caldwell (WR)
#171 Kaleb Elarms-Orr (LB)
#191 Caden Curry (EDGE)
#198 Eli Heidenreich (WR)
#202 Albert Regis (DT)
#212 Logan Taylor (IOL)
#247 Brett Thorson (P)<\/p>\n
Iheanachor was the runaway pick at No. 31 overall in these submitted mock drafts; not a surprise after Mike Vrabel\u2019s hands-on workout with the tackle at his Pro Day last week. Iheanachor started playing football late which leads to some refinement in his technique needed, but he has the size, athletic profile, and plenty of impressive film at Arizona State to where you can easily see upside at the position. A year behind Morgan Moses definitely wouldn\u2019t hurt.<\/p>\n
One of the reasons I\u2019ve gravitated more towards a first-round pick like Iheanachor in recent weeks is because of the depth along the edge and at tight end on day two. You hit both here with Lawrence, who is one of my favorite pass rushers in this class but feels like more of an option at No. 31, and a big blocking tight end who tested through the roof in Roush. Some length limitations and lack of production as a receiver will see him come off the board in the mid-rounds.<\/p>\n
Some favorites on day three include Elarms-Orr (tons of coverage ability) and Heidenreich (a total Swiss-army knife), while Boston College\u2019s own Logan Taylor and reigning Ray-Guy winner Brett Thorson make sense as camp competition. Regis is also an explosive, run-stopping defensive tackle who could help replace Tonga.<\/p>\n
For Pats Sake:
#31 RT Max Iheanachor
#63 EDGE Gabe Jacas
#95 WR Ted Hurst
#125 EDGE Keyron Crawford
#131 Safety Michael Taaffe
#171 TE Marlin Klein
#191 Guard Jaeden Roberts
#198 CB Jadon Canady
#202 WR Barion Brown
#212 LB Red Murdock
#247 QB Diego Pavia<\/p>\n
Again going Iheanachor followed by day two edge rusher, Jacas is a violent edge rusher with plenty of power and some explosiveness. Pairing him with a more twitched-up athlete in Keyron Crawford would be a fun double-dip along the edge.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m also a fan of Ted Hurst as he would give New England\u2019s wide receiver room a big-bodied X receiver with some vertical speed. Hurst can play into his size a bit more but was nearly automatic on goal-line fades and has some serious build-up speed in the open field, while also being able to decelerate and sink his hips at 6-foot-3.<\/p>\n
Houston Antwine the 8th: As the HMFIC here goes;
1st Max Iheanachor T Az St
2nd Derrick Moore Edge Mich
3rd Joe Royer Te Cinci
4th Keylan Rutledge OG GT
4th Bud Clark S TCU
5th Chris McClellan DT Miz
6th De\u2019Zhaun Stribling Wr Ol Miss
6th Roman Hemby Rb Ind
6th Jimmy Rolder Lb Mich
6th Bryce Foster C Kan
7th Luke Altmyer Qb Ill<\/p>\n
Another Iheanachor and edge one-two punch, with Moore seemingly fitting the Patriots mold with his size, motor, and speed-to-power capability. I like the haul in the fourth-round as Rutledge is a very good guard who would fit well in New England\u2019s power run scheme while also posting some excellent agility scores at the NFL Combine. Clark, meanwhile, can do everything the Patriots ask their safeties to do behind his great range and ball skills (15 career INTs).<\/p>\n
Stribling is another outside wide receiver with vertical speed and impressive YAC ability for a receiver his size \u2014 perhaps making him more of an option in the fourth-round. Rolder is a physical linebacker who was notable while watching the Michigan edge defenders while I like Hemby as someone who can help in short-yardage situations \u2014 an area New England struggled last season.<\/p>\n
Arschloch: My only regret is that a S didn\u2019t present itself – would\u2019ve wanted to have someone drafted to develop behind Byard:<\/p>\n
31 – T.J. Parker EDGE
63 – Chris Brazzell WR
95 – Max Klare TE
125 – Julian Neal CB
131 – Jude Bowry OT
171 – Bryce Boettcher LB
191 – Rayshaun Benny DL
198 – Kevin Coleman Jr. WR
202 – Jack Endries TE
212 – Caden Curry EDGE
247 – Sawyer Robertson QB<\/p>\n
Now we dip into the first-round edge group with Clemson\u2019s T.J. Parker. A powerful rusher with just average athletic traits at 6-foot-2, 263 pounds, Parker\u2019s game is built around his deadly long-arm but he\u2019ll continue to need work on his counters at the next level.<\/p>\n
At 6-foot-4 with 4.38-speed, Brazzell looks like the perfect fit for Drake Maye. While the Tennessee offense is always weird to evaluate wide receivers (Brazzell only lined up on the right side and ran hitches and gos on nearly half of his routes), he did flash some ability to sink his hips and run routes.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Klare is a good well-rounded tight end with good on-field athleticism while Endries is a good late-round double-dip option. Bowry is an athletic offensive tackle from Boston College and I\u2019m a fan of Boettcher, a former baseball center fielder who was drafted by the Astros, as an athletic linebacker. Benny was another Michigan defender who flashed and had a strong week at the Senior Bowl.<\/p>\n
31.Kadyn Proctor OT Alabama
63.Caleb Banks DT Florida
95.Jalon Kilgore S South Carolina
125. Romello Height EDGE Texas Tech
131. Harold Perkins Jr. LB LSU
171. Deion Burks WR Oklahoma
191. Lander Barton LB Utah
198. Jeff Caldwell WR Cincinnati
202. Marlin Klein TE Michigan
212. Adam Randall RB Clemson
247. Luke Altmyer QB<\/p>\n
Starting in the trenches. It will be interesting to see where Proctor comes off the board in three weeks. The five-star recruit who committed to Alabama has all the size, power, and athleticism anyone could dream of in a franchise left tackle. He\u2019s dominant at times but it doesn\u2019t always translate as he needs to continue to improve his technique, specifically in pass protection.<\/p>\n
As for Banks, he is largely projected as a first-round talent despite him playing just three games last season due to a foot injury. New England\u2019s interior defensive line is a strength, but if Banks starts to slide his 2024 tape proved he can be a big-time interior pass rusher at the next level.<\/p>\n
From there, Kilgore is a physical, explosive safety\/nickel who had plenty of ball production while Height and Perkins would bring some serious juice to the first and second levels of the defense. In the last rounds, Randall is a fun running back prospect who can do-it-all at 6-foot-3 as a converted wide receiver.<\/p>\n
Matt Monitto: I\u2019m learning that I find mock simulations very frustrating because I focus too much on what I want to happen rather than how the board falls.<\/p>\n
That said, here\u2019s one with PFSN:<\/p>\n
TRADE: 1-31 to IND for 2-47, 5-156, and a \u201827 2nd
2-47: Gabe Jacas, ED, Illinois
TRADE: 2-63 and 6-191 to CIN for 3-72 and 4-110
3-72: Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati
3-95: Austin Barber, T, Florida
4-110: Brian Parker II, G, Duke
4-125: Eli Raridon, TE, Notre Dame
4-131: Charles Demmings, CB, Stephen F. Austin
5-156: Keyron Crawford, ED, Auburn
5-171: Jeff Caldwell, WR, Cincinnati
6-198: Jakobe Thomas, S, Miami (FL)
6-201: Travis Burke, T, Memphis
6-212: Will Kacmarek, TE, Ohio State
7-247: David Gusta, DL, Kentucky<\/p>\n
Our first trade back, picking up some 2027 draft capital that could perhaps be used in an A.J. Brown trade in June. Beyond Jacas, Golday is a strong athlete who played in plenty of space at Cincinnati in a unique role as an overhang linebacker.<\/p>\n
Fan of the rest of the fourth-round haul, as Demmings is one of my favorite mid-to-late round cornerbacks. While the level of competition is noteworthy, Demmings has good size and speed who can stick in man coverage. Raridon then has bounced back from two ACL tears to still have explosive ability up the seam and played mostly in-line at Notre Dame with plenty of good moments as a blocker.<\/p>\n
Among the sixth-rounders, Burke definitely has work to do technique-wise but is an absolute finisher\/mauler at tackle. New England had him in for a 30 visit. Jakobe Thomas is then a violent safety who prides himself on his hard hitting nature to wear down opponents.<\/p>\n
1.31 Kayden McDonald DT
2.63 Malachi Lawrence EDGE
3.95 Demetrius Crownover OT
4.125 DeZhaun Stribling WR
4.131 Taurean York LB
5.171 Dallen Bentley TE
6.191 Jalen Huskey CB\/S
6.195 Lander Barton LB\/TE
6.202 Robert Henry Jr RB
6.212 Sawyer Robertson QB
7.247 Jack Stonehouse P<\/p>\n
Going back to the trenches early, Ohio State\u2019s Kayden McDonald has become a surprisingly common pick for the Patriots in mock drafts. He\u2019s an impressive player and could be among the best talents available at No. 31, but it would be tough for me to select a run-stuffing defensive tackle in the first-round with the Patriots\u2019 current depth along the interior.<\/p>\n
Crownover is a good option at No. 95 as a development tackle who has all the needed measurements but remains raw. The biggest question with the tackle class is the drop off in talent after the first-round. After Iheanachor on the consensus board, Crownover (No. 97) trails just Caleb Tiernan (No. 66), who some project to be a guard. With the need for tackles across the league, it feels unlikely there is a ~60 pick gap between tackles which could result for players to get pushed up the board (in a similar fashion Caedan Wallace did in 2024).<\/p>\n
Rounding things out, York is a fun off-the-ball linebacker who plays bigger than he measures at 5-foot-10 and was a team captain. Bentley is another good mid-round tight end option with good athleticism and ball skills while being able to play in-line. Another punter too in Stonehouse, who is cousins with Mike Vrabel\u2019s former All-Pro punter Ryan Stonehouse.<\/p>\n
(31) Blake Miller Clemson OT 6\u20197\u201d 317
(63) Dani Dennis-Sutton Penn State Edge 6\u20196\u201d 256
(95) Oscar Delp Georgia TE 6\u20195\u201d 245
(125) Ja\u2019Kobi Lane USC WR 6\u20194\u201d 200
(131) Ephesians Prysock Washington CB 6\u20193\u201d 196
(171) V.J. Payne Kansas State S 6\u20193\u201d 206
(191) Adam Randall Clemson RB 6\u20193\u201d 232
(198) Logan Taylor Boston College OG 6\u20197\u201d 314
(202) Eric Gentry USC LB 6\u20197\u201d 221
(212) Lander Barton Utah LB 6\u20195\u201d 233
(247) Nolan Rucci Penn State OT 6\u20197\u201d 308<\/p>\n
Back to the tackle-edge path with some new names. Unlike Iheanachor, Miller left high school as a top-recruit and won the starting right tackle job at Clemson his freshman season. He\u2019s an elite athlete with long arms who plays with a violence that Mike Vrabel will certainly approve of.<\/p>\n
On day two, Dennis-Sutton had a productive career at Penn State but I\u2019d prefer some of the previously picked edge rushers due to their pure pass rush potential. I am a Delphead, however. Despite minimal production at Georgia (see: QB Gunner Stockton) Delp is a tremendous athlete who explodes up the seam and has plenty of highlights as a move blocker and against defensive ends.<\/p>\n
Im not huge on Ja\u2019Kobi Lane despite his impressive length and catch radius. He isn\u2019t overly physical and a class-high 33 percent of his targets were contested to highlight his separation issues. I lean the other way on Payne, meanwhile, who has some freakish length with arms close to 34 inches and a 81-inch wingspan. Gentry also has one of the wildest builds for a linebacker I\u2019ve ever seen. He\u2019s a small forward in the NBA.<\/p>\n
Some names we haven\u2019t hit on: Zakee Wheatley is among the prospects who have been hosted for a 30 visit at Gillette Stadium. Wheatley has good range and cover plenty of grass which makes him a fit in the Patriots backend. Nick Barrett is a big, space eating nose tackle while the Patriots have shown some level of interest in Haynes King as they look for a third QB. There were plenty of late-round QBs taken in these mocks but King ran a 4.46-second 40 at the Combine and Georgia Tech leaned on him as a runner throughout the season.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s all for this week\u2019s #PostPulpit mailbag. If you have questions you\u2019d liked to be answered next week, submit them online in our weekly submission post or on Twitter using #PostPulpit. Make sure to be following @iambrianhines<\/a> and @PatsPulpit<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n