The New England Patriots saw some shuffling in their tight end room this offseason. While Hunter Henry, who had a career year in 2025, remains on the squad, second option Austin Hooper was allowed to return to Atlanta in free agency. In his place, the Patriots signed former Campbell College and Miami Dolphins tight end Julian Hill to a three-year deal. Hill will primarily operate as a blocker in his secondary role.
Beyond Henry and Hill, the team rostered former Alabama tight end C.J. Dippre and futures contract signee Marshall Lang. Jack Westover also looks likely to return to his original tight end position from his fullback role last year with the signing of Reggie Gilliam.
Henry is a legitimate starting tight end, but he'll be out of contract after 2026, when he'll be 32 years old. The other four players in the tight end room have a combined 35 catches in their careers.
New England utilized 13 personnel (2 TE and a FB) at a higher rate than any other team this year. Should they want to continue that trend in 2026, an upgrade, or at least an addition, at tight end could be in the cards. With Hill inked in free agency, the draft may be the best time to make that addition.
Three tight ends the Patriots could target in this year's draft
Max Klare, Ohio State
Projected Range: Rounds 2-3
Klare was a player I was high on very early in the draft process. Drafting skill position players from Ohio State is always a good idea, and Klare could be the next in line among Buckeyes who've had NFL success.
After spending three seasons at Purdue, Klare transferred to OSU for his final season of eligibility, totaling 43 catches for 448 yards and 2 touchdowns. His stats for Purdue in 2024 eclipsed those numbers, as his 51 catches totaled nearly 700 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Klare is an exceptional pass catcher with great on-field athleticism. While his blocking metrics aren't horrific, it's certainly an element of his game that needs work. He's lined up more as an in-line tight end over the past two years than he has in the slot, a trend that will continue in the NFL.
While his 48% in-line figure may seem low, Colston Loveland, the first player at the position selected in 2025, lined up in-line just 51% of the time.
Hill was inked to be a blocker more than anything, so leveraging his blocking to select Klare and his receiving acumen could pay dividends.
Sam Roush, Stanford
Projected Range: Rounds 2-3
Klare is a talented player, but given Roush's athleticism, it wouldn't shock me if the Cardinal went before the Buckeye. Roush is a more traditional tight end, lining up in line 78% of the time. At 6-foot-6, 267 pounds, he ran a 4.7 40-yard dash and was given an 89/99 athleticism score by NextGen Stats.
In addition to his size and athleticism, he was quite productive last season. He had 49 catches for 545 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Despite his size, he struggled to make contested catches: just a 40% catch rate. He was also penalized six times in 2024, and while that figure dropped to two in '25, it remains something of a concern.
A top-100 tight end would ideally be Hunter Henry's eventual successor, but Henry lined up in line less than 47% of the time last season. Roush may be a better option as someone who could play a high-end second fiddle as an athlete and blocker.
About an inch taller and 10 pounds heavier than Tucker Kraft, Roush is still quite similar. Kraft spent 71% of his snaps as an in-line man during his final season at South Dakota, and has since developed into a very solid tight end. Adding a Kraft-esque player to an offense that ran 13 personnel more than any team in the league last season seems like an excellent idea.
Will Kacmarek, Ohio State
Projected Range: Rounds 3-5
Having two tight ends from the same school be legitimate draft prospects is rare, but Klare and Kacmarek are both NFL players. The rise in the importance of blocking tight ends over the past few seasons has put a financial premium on the role.
Charlie Woerner signed a deal with the 49ers worth $4 million yearly in 2024 despite 11 catches in four years with the Falcons. Josh Oliver's deal with the Vikings was worth $7 million despite averaging less than 9 catches through his first three seasons, and Julian Hill signed with the Patriots for $5 million a year after having 298 yards in three seasons.
Long story short, Kacmarek's 23 catches over the last two seasons shouldn't be much of an issue. He lined up in line 83% of the time on over 500 snaps, and has prototypical size and strong blocking to match.
His range has changed significantly compared to a few months ago, and as high as the late third round seems possible for him. Kacmarek isn't likely to be Henry's successor, but seeing him have a ten-year NFL career as a second option seems possible given his skill set.
All in all, New England has the opportunity to make a significant addition to their tight end room through one of these prospects. While Klare and Roush will likely be top-100 selections, New England extending themselves for a long-term contributor down the seam seems a reasonable idea.
Additionally, Kacmarek could have a long career as a block and RAC option. Whether New England prefers Roush or one of the Ohio State tight ends, an addition at the position would be welcome come the NFL Draft.