{"id":874165,"date":"2026-04-25T09:57:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T09:57:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/874165\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T09:57:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T09:57:17","slug":"nfl-draft-2026-9-players-new-england-patriots-could-take","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/874165\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Draft 2026: 9 players New England Patriots could take"},"content":{"rendered":"

See the Patriots\u2019 draft class as it stands now here.<\/a><\/p>\n

While New England has filled some areas of need, there are still plenty of intriguing possibilities left on the draft board. <\/p>\n

Here are a handful of names to keep in mind when Day 3 kicks off at noon.<\/p>\n

Cornerback Jermod McCoy: Someone is going to get great value when they select this 6-1, 188-pounder. The former Tennessee cornerback would have been a Day 1 prospect if he didn\u2019t suffer a knee injury in 2025. He will be a great fit as a Day 3 option. New England doesn\u2019t necessarily need cornerback depth, but he\u2019s one of the most intriguing guys on the board.<\/p>\n

Wide receiver Skyler Bell: Bell might be the best New England-based prospect on this list. A 6-foot, 192-pound burner out of UConn, he ran a 4.4 40-yard-dash at the combine. He finished his college career with tremendous production, catching 101 passes for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior. He might not have the SEC pedigree, but Bell\u2019s stats and physical tools have the potential to make an offensive coordinator very happy. <\/p>\n

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Running back Mike Washington Jr.: The Patriots could use some depth at the position, and this 6-1, 223-pounder showed great production at every level in college, finishing his career with Arkansas last year in impressive fashion (1,070 yards, 6.4 yards per carry).<\/p>\n

Offensive guard Logan Taylor: The second-team All-ACC selection drew the attention of Patriots coach Mike Vrabel at Boston College\u2019s Pro Day, and for good reason. He has the size (6-7, 314) and versatility (he started at three positions along the line last season) to warrant attention as a Day 3 prospect.<\/p>\n

Tight end Tanner Koziol: The 6-6, 247-pounder had impressive production as a pass catcher, putting the cap on his college career with 74 catches for 727 yards and six touchdowns. A first-team All-Big 12 standout, he needs work as a blocker. But his soft hands and route-running skills give him a chance to make an impact early in his professional career. Vrabel said on several occasions he\u2019s enamored with this year\u2019s tight end class. After the Patriots took Eli Raridon<\/a> on Friday, could they double up with another tight end Saturday?<\/p>\n

Tight end Justin Joly: After starting his college career at UConn, Joly transferred to North Carolina State. At times he resembles a tight end in a wide receiver\u2019s body. He does have good hands (he led the Wolfpack with 49 catches this past season, to go with 489 receiving yards and seven touchdowns) and is a good route runner. His frame sometimes means he\u2019ll be overwhelmed as a blocker. He is young \u2014 he won\u2019t turn 22 until just before training camp \u2014 so there is some ceiling there. <\/p>\n

Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier: The decision to part ways with Joshua Dobbs (and not add a vet someone in free agency) is a pretty good indication the Patriots are going to draft a quarterback. The only question is where. A Day 3 pick on LSU\u2019s Garrett Nussmeier might be the way to go. A certified friend<\/a> and former college teammate of Will Campbell, Nussmeier might fit the bill as an excellent developmental guy who could fill out the quarterback room, even if he\u2019s inactive for gameday. <\/p>\n

Safety\/linebacker Kyle Louis: A terrifically versatile player who does a little of everything \u2014 he had six interceptions and 10 sacks the last two seasons \u2014 the 5-foot-11, 224-pounder is an under-the-radar stud. He gets a little overwhelmed inside against the run, but he\u2019s basically an oversized safety who has good speed and can run with receivers in coverage. For a team like New England that had trouble with tight ends last year, he could be just the ticket with a Day 3 choice.<\/p>\n

Defensive end\/ED Caden Curry: A high-motor edge defender with an Ohio State pedigree, Curry is the same sort of player Vrabel was when he played for the Buckeyes \u2014 a 6-3, 260-pound end-of-the-line defender. (Vrabel was 6-4, 261 as a player.) Curry is a tweener willing to play just about anywhere. A high-motor rusher (11 sacks last year), with good special teams experience and great intangibles.<\/p>\n

Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"See the Patriots\u2019 draft class as it stands now here. While New England has filled some areas of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":874166,"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-874165","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\/116464755952834329","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874165","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=874165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874165\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/874166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=874165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=874165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=874165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}