As the New England Patriots continue to wait patiently until they are finally on the clock, they're having to watch some of their most desirable first-round options get stolen by some of their closest rivals. The latest is the New York Jets, as they used their second first-rounder to select the best tight end of the 2026 class, Kenyon Sadiq out of Oregon.
There was some chatter about him falling to the end of the first round, allowing the Patriots to seriously consider if he was worth taking to become Hunter Henry's successor. Plenty of fans were behind that idea, but now they'll have to watch the defense try to slow him down twice a year every season moving forward.
It's not an ideal situation, especially since their offense needs a lot of help in the tight end room beyond Henry, and now their options will include the most desirable name of the group.
The Jets just threw a wrench into the Patriots' possible plans for their first-round pick
Sadiq is set to take over a prominent role in the revamped Jets' offense with new quarterback Geno Smith back under center. For many of the last few seasons, that role had been dominated by Tyler Conklin, who spent three years in New York and consistently gave the Patriots problems.
But he left the Jets after the 2024 season, leaving a big hole in their offense that Sadiq immediately fills.
Now, the Patriots have to prepare to slow him down, which they haven't been too good at in recent years, and based on his evaluation from one of FanSided's resident draft experts, Marcus Mosher, it won't be an easy task. It would have been a lot better if he were on the Patriots roster rather than against them.
"Sadiq is one of the best athletes ever at the tight end position and that's because he looks more like a rocked-up wide receiver. He's got the right mentality for the position as he was a special teams demon for Oregon. He's still learning how to become a complete tight end, but he's uber talented and will have value right away on underneath routes because of his ability to make plays after the catch. "
Although there are still things he needs to improve, and a transition to the NFL will only make those weaknesses more apparent, it's clear that Sadiq is on a path to be a superstar. Hopefully, for his sake, the Jets won't hold him back.
He would've thrived with Josh McDaniels and the Patriots in New England, but hopefully, they'll still have a chance to get a tight end of the future in the rest of the draft. Fortunately, there are still plenty of notable names available.
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