Rumors abound about the New England Patriots' 2026 draft, with mock drafts suggesting they'll use Pick No. 31 in the first round, trade out, trade down, or maybe even trade up. It's time to speculate, and that's what draft fever is really all about.
Recently, in an article by Matt Miller and Jordan Reid of ESPN, Patriots reporter Mike Reiss, also of ESPN, opined that trading up using lower round picks may just be the way the Patriots will approach this draft.
While the strategy they'll ultimately adopt is subject to conjecture, the fact that they have needs all over the field shouldn't be. The Patriots' offense needs better blockers, a top wide receiver, a tight end, and a running back.
On defense, they are thin at defensive end, and now woefully lacking at inside linebacker.
After their drubbing at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks, the Patriots' Super Bowl team's deficiencies were obvious. Since then, they've increased their needs by jettisoning players who, while they may not have been stars, were at least legitimate NFL players.
Now Mike Vrabel and his personnel team have massive needs and, after a disappointing free agency, have only the draft and perhaps a trade or two to remedy them.
ESPN's Mike Reiss thinks the Patriots may use picks to trade up
Perhaps the least suggested idea for the Patriots in the 2026 draft would be to use some of their lower-round picks to trade up, presumably for better players. The idea generally is sound, but with so many roster needs in this case, it's questionable.
Regardless, in an ESPN article about the "latest intel" on the draft, Reiss suggests the Patriots may indeed trade up using some of the additional picks they've acquired through trades.
"ESPN: "The Pats are tied for the most Day 3 picks in the NFL with eight. True or false, they will use those to move up on Day 1 or Day 2.'
'True. Or at least they will try to make this statement true. The Patriots have two fourth-rounders and four sixth-rounders and, according to some scouts, this year's draft is not considered as strong on Day 3 as it was in 2025.
So, the Patriots are expected to explore the possibility of using some of those Day 3 picks as chips in trades to better position themselves for players they are targeting earlier in the draft.'-- Mike Reiss"
If the Patriots were to use some of their additional picks, what players might be worthy of trading up for? Certainly, to bolster the offensive tackle position, trading up to get one of the top offensive tackles on the board who may slip a bit is advisable.
Two players, among others, who'd warrant that approach would be Blake Miller of Clemson and, without any doubt, Kadyn Proctor of Alabama.
Another area of need that may warrant a trade-up would be the tight end position. The Patriots allowed backup tight end Austin Hooper to leave. They subsequently signed free agent Julian Hill, but he's primarily a blocker. Trading up to secure a pass-catching or multi-faceted tight end would make perfect sense for the Patriots.
One negative in trading picks for the Patriots is the extent of the team's positional needs. They had weak positions at the end of 2025 and have further weakened this offseason by parting ways with several contributing players.
The Patriots will have to weigh the potential impact of getting better players at fewer positions against adding more players to address all of their needs. It may not be an easy path to negotiate at all.
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