Good luck crafting a 2026 mock draft for the New England Patriots. Their methodical start to the new league year addressed some key problem areas on the roster, but stopped short of solving any of them completely.
The Patriots’ top free agent additions were Romeo Doubs, Dre’Mont Jones, Alijah Vera-Tucker, and Kevin Byard. Yet, no fan should be surprised if Mike Vrabel and company look to attack all four of those position groups — wide receiver, edge, guard, and defensive back — with some of their 11 total selections in the 2026 NFL Draft.
That makes predicting what the team could do at pick No. 31 overall a major chore.
Expert projections have been all over the map, from edge rushers Cashius Howell and Akheem Mesidor to offensive linemen Max Iheanachor and Keylan Rutledge. Patriots beat writer Mark Daniels mocked Georgia linebacker C.J. Allen in his latest 7-rounder for MassLive.
Vrabel recently told reporters that the goal is always to take the best player available, regardless of position. That agenda suits the Patriots well this year, but with only three picks inside the top 100, including Nos. 63 and 95, they can't afford to whiff on their lone Day 1 selection.
NFL Draft writer Josh Edwards named his three most overrated players in the 2026 draft class for CBS Sports, and two of the names may sound uncomfortably familiar to Patriots fans.
Two popular prospects come with red flags the Patriots can’t ignore
Cashius Howell, edge rusher, Texas A&M
Howell, the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year with 11 sacks and 41 total quarterback pressures in 2025, per Pro Football Focus, has felt like a potential steal for the Patriots if he’s still on the board for them at No. 31.
Longtime draft guru Todd McShay gushed over Howell in mocking him to the Patriots, and going edge in this spot would make a ton of sense for the team, given Harold Landry’s age (going on 30) and recent injury history.
But after a year’s worth of painful commentary on left tackle Will Campbell, last year's No. 4 overall pick, fans can only laugh at Edwards’ assessment on Howell’s short arms for the position.
“He checks the box for functional play strength in the run game,” he wrote, “but is on the shorter side. His 30.25-inch arm length is an extreme outlier when referring to the measurements of All-Pro edge rushers over the last six years; more than two inches shorter than the average.”
Concerns over Campbell's arm length were well documented during last year's pre-draft process, and he didn't exactly silence his critics during the Patriots' playoff run. Howell would bring some serious juice as a speed rusher, but arm length could be a bigger priority for New England this time around.
C.J. Allen, linebacker, Georgia
Targeting an inside linebacker at No. 31 overall could be just as risky for the Patriots, but Allen feels like a Vrabel guy. His numbers at Georgia were solid across the board, but it’s his processing power and leadership qualities that have him locked in as an early-round prospect. Allen was an All-American as a junior for the Bulldogs.
Linebacker is definitely a need for New England. Christian Elliss had an up-and-down 2025 season, and Robert Spillane struggled to stay on the field during the stretch run due to lower-body injuries.
The potential problem with Allen? He may not be the physical, downhill force the Patriots are looking for from the second level of their defense, per Edwards' assessment.
“He displays strong leadership skills but is not an overwhelming athlete on the football field," he wrote. "He has a shorter build and can sometimes lose sight of the forest for the trees when involved in the box, with concerns about mirroring in coverage.”
As Vrabel and the Patriots proved last year, they won’t be swayed off their guy because of scouting combine measurements or any other pre-draft chatter. But if they’re flagging similar size and physicality concerns on these players, there’s a good chance the Patriots steer clear. They have too many other viable paths at No. 31 to justify anything resembling a reach in Round 1.
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