{"id":874122,"date":"2026-04-25T05:07:04","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T05:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/874122\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T05:07:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T05:07:04","slug":"patriots-2026-draft-live-updates-pick-by-pick-reactions-instant-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/874122\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots 2026 Draft: Live Updates, Pick-By-Pick Reactions, Instant Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New England Patriots<\/a>, fresh off their trip to the Super Bowl, are back in the swing of things. Stockpiled with 11 draft picks and the willingness to move up and down the board with ease, the defending AFC champions have plenty of avenues to go down this weekend.<\/p>\n

There’s need along the defensive front, including edge rusher and defensive tackle. Executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf <\/a>also highlighted the possibility of adding an off-ball linebacker later in the draft as well.<\/p>\n

Offensively, a backup tight end would go a long way in the passing attack, while bringing in an offensive tackle to protect Drake Maye for the long-term may end up being the team’s first round selection.<\/p>\n

“I think we are going to continue to try to strengthen our team,” head coach Mike Vrabel <\/a>told reporters earlier this week. “Our first focus is going to be on Thursday night and making sure we get that right.”<\/p>\n

Here’s your go-to place for all the Patriots’ latest player selections<\/a>, trade announcements, pick-by-pick analysis and anything else that arises during the three-day draft. Check out all of Patriots On SI’s breaking draft coverage with in-depth pieces of incoming rookies here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Trade! Patriots Acquire 28th Pick From Buffalo Bills For 31st\/125th Overall Picks To Select Utah OT Caleb Lomu\"Utah<\/p>\n

Nov 28, 2025; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Utah Utes offensive lineman Caleb Lomu (71) gets ready before the snap during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Patriots traded up! They saw a long line of offensive tackles go in front of them and decided to join in. Lomu is a tall human (6-foot-6, 313 lbs) and ran a sub-five 40-yard dash. The 21-year-old will be a player who starts his career on the bench, as veteran Morgan Moses will start the season at right tackle. But the athleticism is evident, and New England should enjoy what the longtime college starter can bring at the NFL level.<\/p>\n

Instant Analysis: With the run on offensive tackles happening in the middle of the first round, the Patriots’ hand was forced. They swung a deal with the division rival to jump and grab the last of the “good” offensive tackles in this draft. Lomu will ideally be the right tackle of the future. <\/p>\n

On SI Breaking Coverage: “Patriots Hit Absolute Home Run With Caleb Lomu Pick”<\/a>, “Patriots Are Getting Talented Pass Protector In Caleb Lomu”<\/a> & “Why Patriots Felt Comfortable Trading Up For Utah OT Caleb Lomu”<\/a><\/p>\n

Trade! Patriots Acquire 55th Overall Pick From Los Angeles Chargers for 63rd\/131st\/202nd Overall Picks To Select Illinois EDGE Gabe Jacas\"Illinois<\/p>\n

Nov 16, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini linebacker Gabe Jacas (17) sacks Michigan State Spartans quarterback Aidan Chiles (2) during the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Another trade up for New England nets them the edge rusher they needed. Jacas, a captain for Illinois, is 21 years old and is a ferocious player on defense. He was a Second Team All-Big Ten player this past season after starting 12 games and forced three fumbles. He’s become one of the best pass rushers on the roster from the get-go.<\/p>\n

Instant Analysis: The Patriots needed an edge rusher after losing K’Lavon Chaisson and Anfernee Jennings this offseason. While the move up to the 55th overall pick may be a slight overpay, a run of edge rushers in the second round led New England to move up for the second time in two nights.<\/p>\n

On SI Breaking Coverage: “Patriots Bolster Pass Rush By Selecting Edge Rusher Gabe Jacas”<\/a> & “Gabe Jacas Models Game After Former Patriots Superstar”<\/a><\/p>\n

3rd Round, 95th Overall: Patriots Select Notre Dame TE Eli Raridon\"Notre<\/p>\n

Nov 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Eli Raridon (9) runs after a catch against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Patriots entered the draft with a need at backup tight end. Raridon helps fill that hole as a “Y” player. Injuries are a question for the Notre Dame rookie, who’s suffered two ACL tears during his football journey. But he’s a well-rounded player who ran a 4.62-second 40-yard dash and is an above-average blocker.<\/p>\n

Instant Analysis: Behind Hunter Henry, no tight end on the current New England roster has scored a touchdown in their NFL career. With the veteran entering a contract year, Raridon helps become an important piece of the New England passing attack for years to come — and at a great value in the third round. <\/p>\n

On SI Breaking Coverage: “Patriots Add Versatile TE Eli Raridon to Strengthen Offense” <\/a>& “Despite Lengthy Injury History, Patriots Aren’t Worries About Third Round TE”<\/a><\/p>\n

4th Round, 125th Overall: Traded To Bills In Caleb Lomu Deal<\/p>\n

Instant Analysis: The Patriots felt like a first round talent was beginning to slip, so they went up and grabbed Lomu at 28th overall. All it cost them was their first rounder (31st overall) and one of their fourth round selections. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not that expensive for a player the Patriots hope is their future right tackle for at least the next half-decade.<\/p>\n

4th Round, 131st Overall: Traded To Chargers In Gabe Jacas Deal<\/p>\n

Instant Analysis: Good on the Patriots for continuing to be aggressive in this year’s draft. Jacas has a background in wrestling, and in what Eliot Wolf called a relatively weaker draft class, New England went out and grabbed a violent edge rusher they believed in. They’re now without a fourth round selection … for now.<\/p>\n

5th Round, 171st Overall:<\/p>\n

Instant Analysis:<\/p>\n

6th Round, 191st Overall:<\/p>\n

Instant Analysis:<\/p>\n

6th Round, 198th Overall:<\/p>\n

Instant Analysis:<\/p>\n

6th Round, 202nd Overall: Traded To Chargers In Gabe Jacas Deal<\/p>\n

Instant Analysis: With the Patriots sitting on fourth sixth-round selections, it was always the right idea to try and move up. They moved off of the second-lowest pick they had in the deal to grab Jacas, a player who some thought that the Patriots could have drafted in the first round.<\/p>\n

6th Round, 212th Overall:<\/p>\n

Instant Analysis:<\/p>\n

7th Round, 247th Overall:<\/p>\n

Instant Analysis:<\/p>\n

Make sure you bookmark New England Patriots on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New England Patriots, fresh off their trip to the Super Bowl, are back in the swing of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":874123,"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-874122","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\/116463616676849347","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874122","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=874122"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874122\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/874123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=874122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=874122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=874122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}