{"id":874029,"date":"2026-04-25T02:42:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T02:42:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/874029\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T02:42:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T02:42:54","slug":"nfl-draft-2026-best-available-players-for-new-england-patriots-keyron-crawford-eli-stowers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/874029\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Draft 2026 best available players for New England Patriots: Keyron Crawford, Eli Stowers"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a long Thursday that ended with the New England Patriots trading up three spots to draft Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu<\/a>, Eliot Wolf said the team would probably wait until Friday morning to reset the draft board and create a plan for Day 2.<\/p>\n

He pointed out that after giving up a fourth-round pick to move up on Thursday night, \u201cI don\u2019t know how likely that is\u201d to move up again in the second round. The Pats will likely wait a bit before they\u2019re on the clock again Friday night with the 63rd selection.<\/p>\n

Still, big decisions loom. The Patriots have two picks Friday: one in the second round and one in the third. They have seven picks Saturday, when Mike Vrabel is not expected to be present<\/a> as he seeks counseling and spends time with his family.<\/p>\n

So, ahead of a big second night of the draft, here are the best remaining fits for the Patriots.<\/p>\n

Second roundKeyron Crawford, Edge, Auburn<\/p>\n

Crawford has the quick-twitch athleticism that the Patriots are looking for from an edge rusher. He drew rave reviews from scouts and college coaches for his work ethic, which surely would be endearing to Vrabel. He posted a pressure rate of 17.8 in the SEC, a good sign for what\u2019s to come.<\/p>\n

De\u2019Zhaun Stribling, WR, Ole Miss<\/p>\n

The Patriots could use more speedy weapons for Drake Maye, and Stribling wins with speed, running a 4.36-second 40. He was productive at three different schools (Washington State, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss) and has dependable hands (only one drop last season).<\/p>\n

CJ Allen, LB, Georgia<\/p>\n

This might be a little too early for the Patriots to draft a linebacker, but Allen projects as a day-one starter and could help the Pats right away at a position where they don\u2019t have much depth. He\u2019s fast, stops the run well and is a lot of what you look for in a modern linebacker.<\/p>\n

Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt<\/p>\n

This draft is deep when it comes to tight ends, so you could argue that it\u2019s worth waiting for one. But if the Patriots want to address one of their biggest positions of need, Stowers would fit exactly what they\u2019re looking for. The Pats need a receiving tight end, and Stowers could yield plenty of mismatches. He may struggle as a run blocker, but he\u2019s an athletic marvel (he had a 45 1\/2-inch vertical leap) who would bring a lot of promise as a pass catcher.<\/p>\n

Domonique Orange, DT, Iowa State<\/p>\n

Since the Pats didn\u2019t go edge rusher in the first round, it\u2019s more likely that they\u2019ll look to beef up the D-line on Day 2. But one of the Patriots\u2019 most under-discussed needs is at nose tackle, where they\u2019ve been searching for a true run stuffer. That\u2019s what Orange is. He\u2019s limited as a pass rusher, but can be a one-man wrecking crew against the run.<\/p>\n

Third roundRomello Height, Edge, Texas Tech<\/p>\n

He is an older prospect, but if the Patriots decide to wait until the third round to pick an edge rusher, Height would bring the speed off the edge that the Patriots are still seeking. He ran a 4.64-second 40, though his slender size (239 pounds) raises some questions about whether he could play all three downs. Still, if the Pats need pass-rush juice, Height could provide it.<\/p>\n

Justin Joly, TE, NC State<\/p>\n

As the Pats seek a tight end who can help in the passing game, they might look to Joly, who totaled seven touchdowns in 12 games last season. He\u2019s unproven as a deep threat, but he was very effective close to the line of scrimmage and exceled at contested catches.<\/p>\n

Jalen Farmer, G, Kentucky<\/p>\n

After nabbing Lomu on Thursday night, it would be a bit of a surprise if the Patriots went back to the offensive line this early. Still, they could use a guard as insurance behind the injury-prone Alijah Vera-Tucker. Farmer is a bulldozer as a run blocker and could further help the team\u2019s offseason initiative to get better in that phase of the game.<\/p>\n

Daylen Everette, CB, Georgia<\/p>\n

With Carlton Davis\u2019 status beyond this season unclear, the Pats could look to develop an outside corner to take his spot in 2027. Everette has good length (6-foot-1 with 31 7\/8-inch arms) and great speed (4.38-second 40). He was a three-year starter at a high-profile school who has a lot of the traits you look for in a cornerback.<\/p>\n

Bryce Boettcher, LB, Oregon<\/p>\n

He\u2019s such a good athlete that he was a draft pick of the Houston Astros two years ago. But Boettcher gave up baseball to focus on football and became a disruptor in the middle of Oregon\u2019s defense. He led the Big Ten in tackles last season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After a long Thursday that ended with the New England Patriots trading up three spots to draft Utah…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":874030,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2050],"tags":[7,1167,249,2326,2094,6,208],"class_list":{"0":"post-874029","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-england-patriots","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-new-england","10":"tag-new-england-patriots","11":"tag-newengland","12":"tag-newenglandpatriots","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-patriots"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116463049380448150","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874029","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=874029"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874029\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/874030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=874029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=874029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=874029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}