The New England Patriots have put together one of the best young cores in football. Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez star, and the 2025 rookie class is one of the best in recent memory. Aside from their impressive draft, the team rostered three undrafted rookies. In all, six rookies start, and the squad rosters 14.
New England has 12 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, giving them a golden opportunity to further improve a young and overachieving roster. Each position features players who could make excellent Patriots come April, and it would be an incredible opportunity to further bolster the roster.
These players could make excellent Patriots come the 2026 draft
QB Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
Projected Range: Rounds 6-7
Quarterback is far from a position of need for New England. Aside from Maye, Josh Dobbs is under contract for next season, but the team will do its due diligence on late-round prospects. Robertson is an excellent athlete with 66 total touchdowns to 20 interceptions over the last two seasons in Waco.
He's an impressive runner when necessary, totaling 230 yards during his junior season. Robertson would fit in stylistically with the rest of the quarterback room as a developmental backup.
RB Kaytron Allen, Penn State
Projected Range: Rounds 3-5
TreVeyon Henderson will be the bell cow next year, and Rhamondre Stevenson's contract will likely keep him in Foxborough for at least one more season. The latter has put together some solid games as a rotational back, but the team will likely cut costs when the opportunity arises. Allen has rushed for over 1,100 yards each of the past two seasons.
Josh McDaniels favored the power-gap scheme during his second stint in New England, and he is incredibly effective as a power back. Allen could play special teams as a rookie and become the full-time short-yardage back in his second season.
TE Tanner Arkin, Illinois
Projected Range: Rounds 6-7
Many fans will hope Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq finds his way to New England, but he isn't as good a schematic fit as Arkin is. A projected late-round pick, the Illinois tight end doesn't offer much as a receiver: he's had just 202 receiving yards across the last two years. He is, however, an excellent blocker with NFL size.
He has extensive special teams experience and could replace Jack Westover as the team's fullback from the get-go. Arkin's immediate impact as a blocker would make him a high-floor pick, and come 2027, he could easily be the team's second tight end.
WR Nyck Harbor, South Carolina
Projected Range: Rounds 2-3
The Patriots are in an interesting spot at the wide receiver position. All six wideouts on the roster are under contract for next year, but adding a true No. 1 to complement Stefon Diggs would make them a true Super Bowl contender. The Patriots aren't in range for any of the top wideouts, so a scratch ticket on a boom or bust prospect could be worth a swing.
Harbor is a generational athlete: he's thought to run a 4.2-4.3 40-yard dash at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds. At South Carolina this year, he had 30 catches for 618 yards, a career best 20.6 yards per reception, and 6 touchdowns.
He isn't a high-volume receiver, but his numbers and measurables are shockingly similar to DK Metcalf's collegiate stats. Harbor finished his three years in the SEC with one more catch, 39 fewer yards, and 0.8 fewer yards per catch.
There's clearly a premium on outside deep threats in this offense: both Kayshon Boutte and Mack Hollins have thrived. Hollins has played more snaps than any other wideout, and at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, McDaniels clearly likes what a big body offers downfield. Harbor would be a potential major upgrade as a deep weapon and would negate the need for New England to spend $20+ million on Alec Pierce in free agency.
OT Blake Miller, Clemson
Projected Range: Rounds 2-3
Miller doesn't have the same ceiling as other tackles in this draft, but he does have a higher floor than most. He's started at right tackle for four years at Clemson, allowing 8 sacks in his career. He's had some struggles with penalties: 22 overall and 5 this season. He's never had a PFF grade lower than 71.0, and he's improved in that metric every year.
The Patriots need a successor to Morgan Moses, who will be 36 in March, and selecting Miller in the second or third round could be their long-term answer on the right side.
IOL Joshua Braun, Kentucky
Projected Range: Rounds 4-6
It's hard not to love the idea of selecting an offensive lineman named Braun. The guard only became a Wildcat this year after spending three seasons at Florida and two at Arkansas. New England was wise to retain Ben Brown on a two-year deal to secure the depth of their interior offensive line, but it's become clear the Caedan Wallace experiment isn't working.
Braun has over 3,200 career snaps, a 59/41 split between right and left guard. At 6-foot-6 and 342 pounds, he'd be an imposing addition to the offensive line and match the size profile the team likes in late round linemen (see 6'8" Marcus Bryant).
DT Christen Miller, Georgia
Projected Range: Round 1
Using a first-round pick on a defensive tackle might sound redundant given how much has already been invested in the position, but hear me out. When Milton Williams missed time, it was obvious. The run defense struggled immensely, and things didn't get any better when soon-to-be free agent Khyiris Tonga missed time. Joshua Farmer is on IR, leaving Christian Barmore, Cory Durden, and Eric Gregory as the only traditional defensive tackles.
Anfernee Jennings was taking interior snaps against the Ravens. Miller is one of the best run-stoppers in the country, playing in the best conference in college football. Taking him would be a luxury, but it's also on-brand for Vrabel to want to build through the trenches.
ED Zion Young, Missouri
Projected Range: Rounds 1-2
Harold Landry is aging, and K'Lavon Chaisson seems likely to leave for more money in free agency. Vrabel seems to be looking for any excuse not to play Anfernee Jennings, and neither Elijah Ponder nor Bradyn Swinson is ready to be a starter. The Patriots need help on the edge, and that could come in the form of Young.
All but one of his eight sacks this season have come against SEC competition, and he's graded out well against both the run and pass: 84.4 and 82.0, respectively. Young has the build and production of a three-down defensive end, and that's the type of player that can go in the first round.
LB CJ Allen, Georgia
Projected Range: Round 1
Allen is shooting up draft boards, and selecting him seems like it would take a trade-up at the point. Nonetheless, it could be worth it. Allen is a spectacular athlete who quarterbacks the Bulldogs' defense, which ranked second in the SEC and 10th in the country this year.
He has a 90.9 PFF grade against the run and a missed tackle rate of just 8.1%. His coverage ability isn't fantastic, but it isn't a liability either. The Patriots felt Robert Spillane's absence when he went down with a foot injury, and he just turned 30. Allen would be a starter right away and would be Spillane's successor in a few years.
CB Xavier Scott, Illinois
Projected Range: Rounds 3-4
The Patriots have invested heavily in the cornerback position over the past few years. Christian Gonzalez was selected in the first round in 2023, and Carlton Davis was inked to a $60 million deal this offseason.
Marcus Jones was re-signed to a three-year deal in October, meaning their current trio is under contract through the 2027 season. Nonetheless, adding cornerback depth will be important, and Scott profiles perfectly for that role.
Surgery on Scott's ankle limited him to just four games this year, but his 2024 tape is impressive. He's played primarily in the slot but also has extensive experience on the outside, with 195+ snaps at the position in '23 and '24. He's an excellent tackler, with PFF grades of 90.1 and 85.2 in run support.
It seems unlikely New England will invest in the cornerback position in the top-64 picks, but nabbing Scott in the third or fourth round would shore up a secondary in need of depth.
SAF Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo
Projected Range: Rounds 1-2
Toledo defensive backs are having a moment, first with Quinyon Mitchell and now with Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. Locked in as a top-50 pick by most experts, McNeil-Warren has three excellent years as the starter in Ohio, playing primarily in the box (61% this season) but also as a deeper safety. He's recorded PFF grades of 83.0 or better in each of those seasons, with his best grade coming in 2025: a 92.0.
McNeil-Warren stars in run defense. He had a 95.0 grade back in 2023, and has backed that stellar season up with a 78.8 in '24 and an 85.3 in '25. His missed tackle rate is just 11.3% in his career, a very respectable number considering he is just 202 pounds.
His coverage ability has also improved dramatically: he allowed a completion rate of just 38% this season. He's been penalized once in his collegiate career, while nabbing 5 interceptions and forcing 11 fumbles. McNeil-Warren offers everything New England could want in a safety.
ST Cam Ross, Virginia
Projected Range: Round 7-UDFA
Ross is a wide receiver by trade, but if he sticks in the NFL, he will primarily be a return specialist. Ross first entered college in 2019, racking up 60 catches for 723 yards and four touchdowns for the Connecticut Huskies.
UConn didn't play in 2020, and Ross was limited to five games across 2021 and 2022 due to injuries. He finished out his career as a Husky in 2023 with 552 yards before transferring to James Madison in '24 and Virginia in '25.
He's come on as a return man over the last two seasons, averaging 30.1 yards per kick return with two touchdowns and 7.8 yards per punt return. Ross has the upside to be a top return man and spark plug on offense. Spending 2026 on the practice squad and being Pop Douglas's successor would be a reasonable career path for the Cavalier.
The New England Patriots have the opportunity to further add to one of the best young rosters in football through the 2026 draft, and don't be surprised if they look to these players as seamless scheme fits into their ahead-of-schedule squad in the offseason.