7-round mock draft: Patriots open with a splash

Round 1

**TRADE: Patriots trade 1-31 and a 2027 4th-round pick to Eagles for WR A.J. Brown and a 2027 6th-round pick:** The Patriots trading for A.J. Brown feels inevitable, and they do it here with their first-round pick. The first alone isn’t quite enough, so they have to throw in a fourth from next year’s draft to sweeten the deal. To it done, the Eagles also include a sixth-rounder in 2027. The assumption is that this trade is made with the Patriots on the clock to see what they would be passing on, and to see if there is someone there that the Eagles might want.

Round 2

**2-63: ED Dani Dennis-Sutton (Penn State | No. 68:** The Patriots are desperate for help along the defensive edge, so they grab Dennis-Sutton at the end of the second round. He is a solid run defender, which is something that they clearly need to be better at from the edge spot, particularly after letting Anfernee Jennings go earlier this offseason. There is some concern that the sack production will not translate well to the NFL, but the athleticism is there with a 39.5-inch vertical, a 10-foot-11 broad jump, and a sub-7-second three-cone drill. He also has the correct mindset to play for a Mike Vrabel-led team: he loves playing football and goes all-in on special teams as well, where he blocked a school-record three punts last season.

Dani Dennis-Sutton is next in a long line of a freak athlete edge defenders from Penn State pic.twitter.com/YQ17eHJpLw

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL\_DF) March 19, 2026

Round 3

**TRADE: Patriots trade 3-95 and 4-131 to Dolphins for 3-90 and 5-151:** The Patriots and Dolphins flip a few picks so New England can get a guy that it wants. They move up five spots in the third and move back 20 spots from the fourth to the fifth to do so. **3-90: OT Travis Burke (Memphis | No. 159):** Burke is a massive prospect, measuring in at 6-foot-9 and 325 pounds. He is long as well, but that’s not the best part of his game. The best part is the mean streak that he plays with. He is a finisher who wants to drive his man into the ground, and that is exactly what the Patriots liked about Will Campbell last year. Burke might need a little refinement, but he’ll get that sitting behind Morgan Moses for a season. Offensive line is a position of need, and Burke has a great chance to be a solid option for the Patriots at right tackle for the future.

Travis Burke might be the most violent finisher in the 2026 OL class.

6’9, 325 and you’re getting 5–7 knockdowns a game — not cleanup, not scheme…

full-body, torque + drive finishes.

Film room with Memphis RT ↓pic.twitter.com/zmOrOs9LsJ

— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) March 24, 2026

Round 4

**4-125: TE Eli Raridon (Notre Dame | No. 141:** Raridon is leaving South Bend with only 48 career catches, but he has the frame, athleticism, and blocking to make you believe that he has some real promise in the NFL. He looks like he can still add some mass, but he did a nice job as a blocker already and has some fluidity in his routes. He is good in contested-catch situations and had some flashes after the catch as well. You’re drafting him for his projection, but I like the swing here, and, although you don’t scout the helmet, Notre Dame tight ends have historically been serviceable players, even if they don’t turn into superstars.

Eli Raridon will play in the NFL for a long time pic.twitter.com/jU59gYVZlW

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL\_DF) March 20, 2026

Round 5

**5-151: LB Jimmy Rolder (Michigan | No. 172):** Rolder was only a one-year starter at Michigan, but led the team in tackles this past year. He plays with very good instincts and is a great tackler. His size does limit some things, but his athleticism and instincts should counteract those limitations. He also doesn’t have a ton of experience, but looks to be the type of player who can grow in the NFL, and the hope is that there is some untapped potential with him to build on what was an impressive season from him last year. At the very least, he will be an instant contributor on special teams, with a chance to make it onto field on defense in short order.

Michigan LB Jimmy Rolder was a fun watch. Quality instincts, showed smooth change of direction+close, and excellent take on and finishing skills against the run pic.twitter.com/mVdYiCIbFR

— Billy M (@BillyM\_91) April 3, 2026 **5-171: OL Jeremiah Wright (Auburn | No. 173):** Wright is an older prospect, who will be 25 when the season starts, and he was only a two-year starter at Auburn, but I think there is something to work with. He is a converted defensive tackle, so he is fairly new to the position, and you can see the defensive line physicality in his tape. He wants to punish you when he gets a hold of you, and, with his size — 6-foot-5, 331 pounds — he is usually successful. As you can imagine, his game needs some refinement, but I think he’s worth a shot to see if you can develop him into a contributor. Super High on Jeremiah Wright! 6’5 331lbs Guard, Wright is nasty in the trenches! His physicality jumps off the screen when watching his film! Generates serious impact on first contact; when he gets his hands inside and fires his hips, bodies move backwards whether they want to… pic.twitter.com/w4kYW7CG26

— DraftNerd (@TALKINGBALL1) April 3, 2026

Round 6

**6-191: ED Nadame Tucker (Western Michigan | No. 169):** I realize that this is lower than his projection, but Tucker will be 26 in June, and has only one year of production in college. That year, however, was fantastic, with 21 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks. His frame isn’t huge, and there are serious concerns that he will never be a true starter in the NFL, but I think that there is a good chance that he ends up being a situational pass rusher on Day 1 and solid complement to Dani Dennis-Sutton.

Nadame Tucker is such an easy day 3 favorite. Taking 4star OT Stanton Ramil to the woodshed.

Led the FBS in sacks 14.5. Led in pass rush win rate 27.6.

! Didn't play football until his senior year of HS. pic.twitter.com/9XNaXqNkxJ

— ZeeBee (@BellinoZee) April 3, 2026 **6-198: RB Le’Veon Moss (Texas A&M | No. 206):** Moss is a physical running back who isn’t very explosive, but does run very hard in the hole. He projects as an early-down back who doesn’t bring much to the table as a receiver. He still can be used on passing downs, however, because he is fantastic in pass pro. He did deal with some injuries in college which slowed him down, if he can avoid that at the next level, he could be a solid rotational option for the Patriots, and take some of the carrying load off of Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson to keep them both healthy for what should hopefully be another playoff push. 4. Le’Veon Moss

One of the most overlooked backs in the class. • Size + power combo • Goal-line upside • Can handle volume

If he lands in the right room, he could SMASH ADP. pic.twitter.com/2tPHVYoF8G

— Dynatyze Football (@DynatyzeFF) April 3, 2026 **6-202: TE Tanner Koziol (Houston | No. 235):** The Patriots picked up another tight end earlier in the draft in Rariden, who is a good blocker and has some upside as a pass catcher. Koziol is not a very good blocker, and might not have elite athleticism, but his production speaks for itself. The last two seasons — one at Ball State and one at Houston — he racked up 168 catches for 1,566 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has some things to work on, and he is far from a perfect prospect, but he does a really nice job in traffic and has very soft hands. Adding a tight end with his size and production history would be a win, especially this late in the draft. WHEWWWWW BUDDY

Houston TE Tanner Koziol climbing the damn ladder in the red zone pic.twitter.com/z8PvU222Bk

— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) January 29, 2026 **6-212: CB Devon Marshall (NC State | No. 221):** The Patriots could use some more depth at the corner position, and they bring in a local kid here in the sixth round. Marshall , and had a bunch of ball production last season at NC State. He only had two interceptions, but he led the nation with 16 pass deflections. He isn’t the fastest corner, but has solid technique, and that should translate well at the next level. Marshall might not start right away, but he looks like a decent long-term option. NC State CB Devon Marshall was targeted relentlessly vs Florida State.

Round 7

**7-247: P Brett Thorson (Georgia | No. 286):** After Bryce Baringer struggled last season, the Patriots need to address the punter situation, whether that is in the draft or with a UDFA. Here, they take a punter with their last pick in Thorson. Thorson is already 26, having played in Australia before coming to the States to play for Georgia. He has solid hang time on his punts, and has gotten significantly better at his coffin corner punts. He is also willing to put his body on the line to make a tackle, preventing a touchdown against Tennessee, but also missing the end of the 2024 season with an injury to his non-kicking leg. Overall, Australian rules kickers tend to be pretty good NFL punters, so I like the swing here.

UGA Punter Brett Thorson weighed in at 240 at the Senior Bowl

🐶45.6 career punt yard average 🐶Longs each year: 75, 60, 60, 66 🐶2025 Ray Guy winner

Melbourne, Australia native attended ProKick Australia for HS & is funny as hell

First punter drafted pic.twitter.com/QooqPL558M

— Clint Goss (@NFLDraftDome) January 27, 2026 *So, there you have it. A big trade on Day 1, holes being filled on Day 2, and a some promising developmental options on Day 3. What do you think? Which moves would you make differently? Please let us know down below.*