The New England Patriots made nine selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, adding five offensive players and four defensive players. The draft has generally been well received, with fans agreeing they filled many of their top needs.
With offensive tackle Caleb Lomu in the first round, New England will hopefully avoid the assault on Drake Maye we saw during the playoffs going forward, while second-round pick Gabe Jacas should help replace the departed K'Lavon Chaisson.
Eli Raridon is a potential upgrade over Austin Hooper in Round 3, while Day 3 saw them add depth throughout the squad. One major departure this offseason, however, was not replaced via the draft.
Khyiris Tonga went from an afterthought to blossoming into a key run stuffer at the heart of the defense last season. He saw a career high of 415 defensive snaps, while he also operated as a jumbo fullback, playing 18 snaps on offense in addition to 69 more snaps on special teams.
The Patriots traded up in the fourth round last year for Joshua Farmer, but the 13 games he managed to play in were in a depth role. His final snaps of the season came in Week 16, and he was placed on season-ending IR with a hamstring injury in late December.
They additionally saw some run-stuffing production from UDFA Eric Gregory, as well as end-of-roster veterans Leonard Taylor III and Jeremiah Pharms. None of those players, however, is keeping them from making an addition.
D.J. Reader could be an excellent addition to the defensive line
While Mike Vrabel and company may have let Tonga walk with the intention of replacing him with an in-house option, the Patriots are in win-now mode.
Of course, Maye's age means they should be competitive for the next decade, but having a superstar quarterback on a rookie contract is rare and short-lived.
While New England had one of the league's premier run defenses last season, repeating that feat won't be easy. Milton Williams is a star, but Christian Barmore struggles against the run despite his size. Cory Durden was a practice squad signing turned key player last season, recording 34 tackles and an 11.3% pressure rate across all 21 games.
It's expected that those three will be the roster's starters next season, but none of them are true nose tackles. In terms of size, the aforementioned Farmer and Gregory could play the role, but thrusting either into such a high-pressure environment in their sophomore season seems unfair.
If the Patriots wanted to look to free agency, former Lion D.J. Reader could be a very solid option. Reader played in all 17 games for the Lions last season, recording 28 tackles and 6.3% pressure rate. While he isn't much of a quarterback hunter, his value lies in his run-stopping ability.
Weighing in at over 330 pounds, Reader is an experienced run stuffer with the size of a true nose tackle.
Admittedly, the soon-to-be 32-year-old's 2025 didn't go as expected. He ranked 88th among defensive tackles in run stop rate (5.7%) and 90th in average depth of tackle (2.7 yards) (both metrics: min. 100 run defense snaps).
Despite last season, he had success as recently as the 2024 season, when he ranked 15th in the league in average depth of tackle (1.4 yards).
Reader wouldn't be an expensive player to bring in, and on a one-year deal to shore up the defensive line, it would appear to be a wise move. It remains to be seen whether or not New England will add to their cache of defensive linemen, but if they do, Reader should be the top option.
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