The New England Patriots added nine rookies in the 2026 NFL Draft after rostering as many as 14 last season, further adding to the young crop of talent on Mike Vrabel's squad.
Last season, we saw all four players selected on the first two days of the draft have an impact, but what was most impressive was the hidden gems the team unearthed on Day 3.
Craig Woodson was considered a reach by many in the fourth round, but he quickly became one of the league's better young defenders, playing a pivotal role as one of the team's starting safeties. Joshua Farmer also saw significant game time before injury derailed his season, while Andy Borregales and Julian Ashby were core special teams contributors.
This season, the team added six more players on Day 3. Among them was seventh-round selection Jam Miller, the 245th pick out of Alabama.
Miller was considered an underdog to make the squad in the spring, but after the first week of training camp, that may no longer be the case.
Jam Miller is already making a name for himself at Patriots training camp
While it's still early, Miller appears to be having a strong summer after a subpar final season at Alabama.
After averaging 5.0 yards per carry in his first three seasons for the Crimson Tide, Miller's average dropped to just 3.9 a pop in 2025. He also managed just three touchdowns after having seven the previous season.
Despite the subpar season, it wasn't unique to Miller. No Alabama player with 20+ carries on the year averaged more than 3.9 yards per carry, a near total 180 from the season prior, when four of five players hit the 4.0 mark.
Jam Miller with a decisive bounce to the outside and he runs it in for six. The #Patriots rookie’s processing has stood out to start camp.
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) July 31, 2026
Miller has a strong athletic profile (4.42s speed) and a compact frame, making him a prime kick return candidate.
His primary competition will be Lan Larison and Terrell Jennings. Larison was a highly-touted UDFA last offseason who missed out after a broken foot landed him on IR before the season began.
Jennings was the team's four-minute back last year, mostly handling mop-up duty. He found the end zone once, but his season ended after a mid-year concussion saw him placed on IR. He succeeded Antonio Gibson and preceded D'Ernest Johnson, neither of whom is with the team any longer.
While it looked to be an uphill battle for Miller to make the squad, he may be putting himself in a stronger position for the RB3 role than fans originally thought possible. For the next month, Miller will have to play some excellent football, but his making the team is far from impossible.
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