{"id":20933,"date":"2026-04-25T23:43:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T23:43:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/20933\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T23:43:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T23:43:26","slug":"patriots-2026-nfl-draft-grades-and-day-3-tracker-every-draft-pick-and-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/20933\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots 2026 NFL Draft grades and Day 3 tracker: Every draft pick and analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NFL Draft is over.<\/p>\n

Find all of the latest Patriots\u2019 pick-by-pick grades here with the Herald\u2019s complete draft tracker:<\/p>\n

Day 3
\nBoston College EDGE Quintayvious Hutchins closes out draft<\/p>\n

Grade: C<\/p>\n

Hutchins is neither a terrific athlete nor a prospect who was highly productive in college. But as a high-character player at a premium position, the Patriots decided Hutchins was worthy of their final draft pick.<\/p>\n

A team captain Boston College, Hutchins recorded just 5.5 sacks over 43 career games. He gained experience dropping into coverage and showed he can tackle well. Aside from a quick first step, evaluators seemed to struggle to identify other major strengths of his game that might translate to the NFL.<\/p>\n

Like most of the Patriots\u2019 Day 3 picks, Hutchins may end up as a special teams-only player.<\/p>\n

Patriots add Alabama RB Jam Miller with penultimate pick<\/p>\n

Grade: B-<\/p>\n

A better athlete than he is natural runner, Miller gives the Patriots depth at a position that could be in trouble if Rhamondre Stevenson or TreVeyon Henderson go down for an extended stretch next season. He\u2019s 5-foot-10 and 209 pounds. He rushed for 504 yards and three touchdowns a 3.9 yards per carry average last season.<\/p>\n

Miller is plenty fast (4.42 in the 40-yard dash) and did flash some receiving ability (40 career catches and two receiving touchdowns), but look for him to chase a roster spot as a special teams-first player this summer.<\/p>\n

Texas Tech QB Behron Morton drafted as new QB3<\/p>\n

Grade: C+<\/p>\n

\"TexasTexas Tech quarterback Behren Morton (2) throws a pass during the Big 12 Conference championship NCAA college football game between Texas Tech and BYU Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo\/Julio Cortez)<\/p>\n

Unlike some of their other late-round picks, Morton has unimpressive physical traits he balanced in college with plus intangibles.<\/p>\n

Morton is tough, experienced and regarded as a good leader. But his arm strength and ball placement don\u2019t wow, and his injury history gives reason for concern at the next level, especially given he\u2019s almost eager to take punishment. Morton, at 6-foot-2 and 221 pounds, fits the classic mold of being a better college passer than pro prospect, much like former Patriots fourth-round pick Bailey Zappe.<\/p>\n

He projects as a good locker-room presence, and figures to have an uphill climb to make the roster, even with a clear path to being the No. 3 quarterback behind Drake Maye and Tommy DeVito.<\/p>\n

Pats select TCU LB Namdi Obiazor at end of 6th round<\/p>\n

Grade: B-<\/p>\n

On the surface, the Patriots addressed another need by adding Obiazor to their linebacker room, which needed depth. But is he the coverage linebacker they should have been chasing?<\/p>\n

Obiazor graded out as a run-first player at Pro Football Focus, and evaluators question his ability to diagnose plays and react quickly. However, the physical tools are there with Obiazor, a 6-foot-3 and 229 pounds who ran a 4.53 in the 40-yard dash. Perhaps it was most telling that Patriots vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden mentioned special teams when discussing Obiazor at the start of the seventh round, considering that may be the linebacker\u2019s first and forever home in New England.<\/p>\n

Patriots add another OL in Texas A&M\u2019s Dametrious Crownover<\/p>\n

Grade:\u00a0B+<\/p>\n

At this stage of the draft, it\u2019s wise to bet on traits. That\u2019s exactly what the Patriots did with Crownover, a massive offensive tackle with excellent length, proven durability and plenty of experience.<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-7, 319-pounder made 27 starts at right tackle and one at left tackle during his college career after converting from tight end. Crownover was projected to get drafted early on Day 3, but slid to the Patriots in the sixth round. He took nine penalties last year, including several false start and holding flags. But if the Pats can maximize his potential, they may have a future swing tackle on their hands.<\/p>\n

Crownover\u2019s best football, having played offensive tackle for just four years, is undoubtedly ahead of him.<\/p>\n

Pats surprise with Wake Forest CB Karon Prunty in 5th round<\/p>\n

Grade: C-<\/p>\n

\"WakeWake Forest defensive back Karon Prunty (3) looks on during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Georgia Tech, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Winston-Salem, N.C. (AP Photo\/Matt Kelley)<\/p>\n

The Patriots have made their first selection on Day 3, adding Wake Forest cornerback Karon Prunty late in the fifth round.<\/p>\n

Prunty is a tall, speedy cornerback who transferred twice from Kansas to North Carolina A&T and then Wake Forest. He recorded eight career interceptions over five seasons and six years in college. Prunty was widely projected to be an undrafted free agent despite receiving high coverage grades from Pro Football Focus last year. He allowed catches on just 44.4% of his targets, per PFF, but posted so-so tackling numbers the past two seasons.<\/p>\n

Prunty may help address the team\u2019s shaky cornerback depth, but he\u2019s a 24-year-old prospect who figured to be available later and may soon be in his physical prime, if he isn\u2019t there already. Prunty is already older than rising fourth-year corner Christian Gonzalez. Even if he can contribute on special teams (Prunty was a gunner in college), there\u2019s little time for him to prove himself as an NFL player given his age.<\/p>\n

If the Patriots were chasing traits, like Prunty\u2019s 4.4 speed and plus length, why not target a younger prospect with similar accolades who was still on the board?<\/p>\n

Day 2
\nPats draft Notre Dame TE Eli Raridon in 3rd round<\/p>\n

Grade: B<\/p>\n

Raridon is a tall, athletic tight end who, like Jacas and Lomu, could solve a present and future need for the Patriots.<\/p>\n

He should immediately compete with free-agent addition Julian Hill for the No. 2 job this season and could succeed Hunter Henry as the team\u2019s top tight end starting next year. At 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, Raridon offers a big target over the middle and down the seams. He had 48 catches for 623 yards and three touchdowns over his college career.<\/p>\n

Raridon doesn\u2019t wow as a blocker, though he\u2019s effective in space, and his frame suggests he could easily add weight. This is a decent bet by the Patriots that Raridon\u2019s athletic traits will allow him to develop into a solid NFL tight end, even if he never sniffed dominance at Notre Dame.<\/p>\n

Raridon has elite speed for the position (4.62 in the 40-yard dash) and posted high marks in the vertical and broad jumps at the NFL combine, which speak to his explosiveness. His basketball background is also evident on 50\/50 balls, an area the Pats may be able to tap into early in his career.<\/p>\n

Pats trade up for Gabe Jacas at No. 55 overall<\/p>\n

Grade: A<\/p>\n

\"IllinoisIllinois Gabe Jacas (17) rushes the line during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo\/Melissa Tamez)<\/p>\n

Like Mike Vrabel told Jacas on the phone shortly after his selection, he embodies everything the Patriots want in a player.<\/p>\n

Violent, physical, relentless. He\u2019s tough and exceptionally strong. Jacas leaves Illinois as one of the most productive edge rushers in college football (11 sacks last season) and one of the most experienced players in this year\u2019s draft cycle (41 career starts).<\/p>\n

Former Illinois assistant and Patriots legend James White called Jacas a \u201cperfect fit\u201d for New England in a text exchange with the Herald.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood, tough player,\u201d White wrote. \u201c(He) practices hard. Great vocal leader.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jacas was a captain at Illinois. He stands at 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, fitting the exact physical prototype for a Patriots edge defender. He can stand to be a bit more disciplined coming off the edge, but at 55th overall the Patriots not only landed arguably the best player available but the best player who can help address their most glaring need.<\/p>\n

This was a no-doubt home-run pick.<\/p>\n

Day 1
\nPatriots select Utah LT Caleb Lomu in 1st round<\/p>\n

Grade: B+<\/p>\n

Eliot Wolf said he was surprised to see Lomu still on the board when the Patriots finalized a trade to move up and select him.<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n

After six offensive tackles went in the top 21 picks, Lomu slid toward the end of the first round despite allowing zero sacks last season and testing as an elite athlete for his position at the combine. A two-year starter at left tackle, Lomu is still only 21. He fills a major need for the Patriots, whose offensive tackle depth this season and beyond are both question marks.<\/p>\n

So, why not an \u201cA\u201d grade for this pick?<\/p>\n

Lomu is expected to change positions in New England, which clouds his projection at the next level. Will Campbell remains the Patriots\u2019 starting left tackle. Had the Pats instead landed a college right tackle like Clemson\u2019s Blake Miller (drafted 17th overall by Detroit) or Arizona State\u2019s Max Iheanachor (drafted 21st by Pittsburgh), the vision would have been clearer. For now, Wolf claims Lomu can play almost anywhere across the offensive line.<\/p>\n

Lomu also comes with questions about his size and play demeanor. He said he\u2019s already gained weight after playing at 307 pounds last season. He would do well to play with more of an edge, particularly as a run-blocker where he struggled at times against bigger defenders.<\/p>\n

But Lomu\u2019s talent is obvious. If he can successfully serve as the Patriots\u2019 swing tackle as a rookie, then start at right tackle for 2027 and beyond, Lomu could be one of the best picks the team has made in recent memory.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NFL Draft is over. Find all of the latest Patriots\u2019 pick-by-pick grades here with the Herald\u2019s complete…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20934,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[2741,2749,8,2748,344,9,1042,2743,2744,2745,808,2742,2738,2740,2746,2739,2737,2747,7],"class_list":{"0":"post-20933","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"tag-drake-maye","9":"tag-eliot-wolf","10":"tag-headlines","11":"tag-mike-vrabel","12":"tag-new-england-patriots","13":"tag-news","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-nfl-draft","16":"tag-nfl-draft-2026","17":"tag-nfl-draft-rumors","18":"tag-nfl-free-agency","19":"tag-nfl-news","20":"tag-nfl-rumors","21":"tag-patriots","22":"tag-patriots-2026","23":"tag-patriots-news","24":"tag-patriots-rumors","25":"tag-robert-kraft","26":"tag-top-stories"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@news\/116468003928228655","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}