{"id":874025,"date":"2026-04-25T02:36:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T02:36:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/874025\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T02:36:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T02:36:57","slug":"nfl-draft-2026-the-patriots-best-available-prospect-fits-on-day-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/874025\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Draft 2026: The Patriots&#8217; best available prospect fits on Day 2"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>FOXBORO \u2014 The Patriots are scheduled to make multiple picks Friday on Day 2 of the NFL Draft.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the best prospects still available after the first round:<\/p>\n<p>Auburn EDGE Keyron Crawford<\/p>\n<p>Ht\/Wt: 6-4, 253<\/p>\n<p>The Patriots attended Crawford\u2019s Pro Day and invited him to New England for a pre-draft visit. Crawford is a plus athlete who had five sacks, an interception and a forced fumble last season while playing a multi-faceted edge role in Auburn\u2019s defense. He\u2019s a raw prospect who only started playing football five years ago, but displays a knack for pass-rushing and a professional mindset.<\/p>\n<p>Pitt LB Kyle Louis<\/p>\n<p>Ht\/Wt: 6-0, 220<\/p>\n<p>A coverage-first linebacker, Louis impressed at the Senior Bowl where his speed and instincts were on full display. He had six interceptions and 10 sacks over the past two seasons, and played with sufficient physicality. If picked, Louis could be the heir apparent behind captain and starting inside linebacker Robert Spillane.<\/p>\n<p>Penn State S Zakee Wheatley<\/p>\n<p>Ht\/Wt: 6-3, 203<\/p>\n<p>Wheatley took a top-30 visit to Foxboro this spring, and comments executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf made earlier this week indicate he is still on their board.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s a bigger safety with versatility to play man and zone, in the deep middle and down in the box. Wheatley showed steady improvement at Penn State, where he had three interceptions in 2024 and one last season. If drafted, it\u2019s likely he would sit behind Kevin Byard and Craig Woodson this year before pushing for a starting spot in 2027.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" lazyautosizes lazyload\" alt=\"Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley runs during an NCAA football game against Southern California on Saturday, Oct.12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Kyusung Gong)\" width=\"3841\" data- src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP24287708401458.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"11592690\" \/>Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley runs during an NCAA football game against Southern California on Saturday, Oct.12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Kyusung Gong)<br \/>\nUSC S Kamari Ramsey<\/p>\n<p>Ht\/Wt: 6-0, 202<\/p>\n<p>Few safeties in this class are as versatile as Ramsey, who played multiple safety spots and nickelback in college. He has good speed and is only 21. He also met with the Patriots during the draft process. The only major question with Ramsey is his lack of ball disruption, but he would have time to grow into a larger role in the NFL.<\/p>\n<p>Stanford TE Sam Roush<\/p>\n<p>Ht\/Wt: 6-6, 265<\/p>\n<p>Roush is one of the few tight end prospects in this class big enough to play in-line and athletic enough to split out wide.<\/p>\n<p>He ran a 4.7 in the 40-yard dash and tested well across the board at the scouting combine. That raw ability should mollify concerns about his so-so statistical production in a bad Stanford offense (49 catches, 545 yards and two touchdowns). In New England, he would sit behind Hunter Henry and push free-agent addition Julian Hill for the No. 2 job. The Patriots could need a new starting tight end as soon as 2027.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" lazyautosizes lazyload\" alt=\"Stanford tight end Sam Roush runs a drill at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo\/Michael Conroy)\" width=\"3289\" data- src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26059172723501.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"10825757\" \/>Stanford tight end Sam Roush runs a drill at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo\/Michael Conroy)<br \/>\nGeorgia TE Oscar Delp<\/p>\n<p>Ht\/Wt: 6-4, 247<\/p>\n<p>Delp would represent a big bet on his athleticism, given he caught just 20 passes last year and never topped 300 receiving yards in a single season. But there\u2019s enough potential here to see a well-rounded tight end at the next level. Delp is strong, quick and fluid in his movements, separating well over the middle. He\u2019s also a willing blocker who could add more strength and potentially play in-line for years to come.<\/p>\n<p>Alabama WR Germie Bernard<\/p>\n<p>Ht\/Wt: 6-1, 206<\/p>\n<p>Bernard led Alabama with 64 receptions and 862 receiving yards last year. He\u2019s a well-rounded receiver who runs polished routes and can gain extra yards after the catch. Bernard\u2019s ability to play inside the slot and outside should appeal to the Patriots, who could use more depth at the position even if he projects as a No. 2 at the next level.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FOXBORO \u2014 The Patriots are scheduled to make multiple picks Friday on Day 2 of the NFL Draft.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":874026,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2050],"tags":[833,839,7,838,1167,249,2326,2094,6,15,15729,835,832,7573,2592,208,107497,834,831,837],"class_list":{"0":"post-874025","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-england-patriots","8":"tag-drake-maye","9":"tag-eliot-wolf","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-mike-vrabel","12":"tag-new-england","13":"tag-new-england-patriots","14":"tag-newengland","15":"tag-newenglandpatriots","16":"tag-nfl","17":"tag-nfl-draft","18":"tag-nfl-draft-2026","19":"tag-nfl-news","20":"tag-nfl-rumors","21":"tag-nfl-draft-rumors","22":"tag-nfl-free-agency","23":"tag-patriots","24":"tag-patriots-2026","25":"tag-patriots-news","26":"tag-patriots-rumors","27":"tag-robert-kraft"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116463026632366783","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874025","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=874025"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874025\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/874026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=874025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=874025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=874025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}