
Vrabel: I had 'difficult' talks over Russini photos
Mike Vrabel addresses difficult conversations about photos with Dianna Russini, ensuring commitment to the Patriots.
The Patriots are connected to 153 prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft as scouts prepare year-round. The pre-draft process includes various events and evaluations to finalize their draft board.
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
With the NFL Draft, that rings true at times. For the Patriots, the pre-draft process is a year in the making. Scouts start preparing for the next draft immediately after one ends. From practices to games, they gather intel on each draft-worthy player.
Then comes the offseason, during which prospects are put on display at various All-Star events, such as the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine. Then, there are Pro Days, private workouts, virtual meetings and official pre-draft visits with each club.
This leads to the Patriots creating their draft board and ultimately selecting their players.
Every year, the team meets with hundreds of prospects leading up to the draft. Every year, they’ll select a handful of these players connected with the Patriots. Last year, Will Campbell, Kyle Williams, Joshua Farmer, and Andy Borregales were well-connected to the team.
This year, we’ve compiled a list of 152 prospects connected to the Patriots and ordered them by position and draft projection. Here’s a look:
Cole Payton, North Dakota State (Pro Day) - Round 4
Carson Beck, Miami (Wolf at Pro Day) - Round 4-5
Haynes King, Georgia Tech () - Round 6-7
The Patriots are connected to 153 prospects as they prepare for the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Patriots' scouting process involves gathering intel on players throughout the year, including evaluations at All-Star events and private workouts.
Prospects participate in events like the Senior Bowl, NFL Combine, Pro Days, and private workouts leading up to the draft.
NFL teams, including the Patriots, start preparing for the next draft immediately after the previous one ends.

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Behren Morton, Texas Tech (30 visit) - Round 7
Jalon Daniels, Kansas (30 Visit) - Round 7
Sawyer Robertson, Baylor (Virtual meetings) - Round 7
Joe Fagnano, UConn (Pro Day, Local Visit) - Round 7
Brady Olson, Central Connecticut (Local Pro Day) - UDFA
Kaelon Black, Indiana (30 visit) - Round 5-6
Adam Randall, Clemson (30 visit) - Round 7
Cash Jones, Georgia (Pro Day) - UDFA
Kejon Owens, Florida International (Senior Bowl) - UDFA
Jordon Vaughn, Abilene Christian (College Gridiron Showcase) - UDFA
RB Greg Desrosiers, Memphis (Local Pro Day) - UDFA
RB Jordan McDonald, Boston College (Local Pro Day) - UDFA
Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State (Vrabel at Pro Day) - Round 1
K.C. Concepcion, Texas A&M (30 visit) - Round 1-2
De’Zhaun Stribling, Ole Miss (30 visit) - Round 2-3
Cyrus Allen, Cincinnati (30 visit) - Round 5-6
Kevin Coleman Jr., Missouri (Wolf at Pro Day) - Round 5-6
J. Michael Sturdivant, Florida (East-West Shrine Bowl) - Round 6
Jordan Hudson, SMU (Senior Bowl) - Round 6-7
Lewis Bond, Boston College (Senior Bowl, Pro Day/Vrabel) - Round 7
Emmanuel Henderson, Kansas (East-West Shrine Bowl) - Round 7
Camden Brown, Georgia Southern (Hula Bowl) - UDFA
Gage Florence, North Dakota State (Pro Day) - UDFA
Ben Patterson, Texas Permian (Pro Day) - UDFA
De’Corian “JT” Clark, UTSA (Pro Day meeting) - UDFA
WR Eamonn Dennis, Ohio (Local Pro Day) - UDFA
WR Solomon Miller, Brown (Local Pro Day) - UDFA
WR Jack Morvan, Nichols (Local Pro Day) - UDFA
WR Ty Pezza, Brown (Local Pro Day) - UDFA
WR Noah Short, Army (Local Pro Day) - UDFA
Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt (Pro Day workout) - Round 2
Oscar Delp, Georgia (30 visit) - Round 3
Nate Boerkircher, Texas A&M (Combine) - Round 4
Eli Raridon, Notre Dame (Senior Bowl, Shrine Bowl) - Round 4
D.J. Rogers, TCU (Senior Bowl) - Round 6-7
John Michael Gyllenborg, Wyoming (Senior Bowl) - Round 7
Dan Villari, Syracuse (Hula Bowl, Senior Bowl) - Round 7
Jed Castles, Abilene Christian (Pro Day) - UDFA
TE Eni Falayi, Wake Forest (Local Pro Day) - UDFA
TE Ademola Faleye, Washington State (Local Pro Day) - UDFA
TE Jeremiah Franklin, Boston College (Local Pro Day) - UDFA
TE Louis Hansen, Connecticut (Local Pro Day) - UDFA
Markell Bell, Miami (Wolf at Pro Day, Virtual meeting) - Round 3-4
Jude Bowry, Boston College (Vrabel/Doug Marrone at Pro Day) - Round 4-5
Jayden Williams, Mississippi (Pro Day) - Round 7
Kamar Missouri, UTSA (College Gridiron Showcase) - UDFA
Jake Pope, Illinois State (Pro Day) - UDFA
Ryan Mosesso, Massachusetts (Local Pro Day) - UDFA
Kevin Cline, Boston College (Local Pro Day) - UDFA
Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon (30 visit) - Round 2-3
Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech (Senior Bowl) - Round 2-3
Jalen Farmer, Kentucky (Combine) - Round 3-4
Connor Lew, Auburn (Wolf and Groh at Pro Day) - Round 3-4
Brian Parker II, Duke (East-West Shrine Bowl) - Round 4
Logan Taylor, Boston College (Vrabel/Doug Marrone at Pro Day, Local Pro Day) - Round 4
Kage Casey, Boise State (Senior Bowl) - Round 4-5
Keegan Trost, Missouri (Wolf at Pro Day) - Round 5
Anez Cooper, Miami (Wolf at Pro Day) - Round 5-6
James Brockermeyer, Miami (Wolf at Pro Day) - Round 7
Dillon Wade, Auburn (Wolf and Groh at Pro Day) - Round 7
Ashton Grable, Florida A&M (HBCU Legacy Bowl) - UDFA
Delby Lemieux, Dartmouth (Senior Bowl) - UDFA
Peter Nygra, Louisville (East-West Shrine Bowl) - UDFA
Walker Parks, Clemson (Pro Day) - UDFA
Connor Tollison, Missouri (American Bowl, Eliot Wolf at Pro Day) - UDFA
Greg Crippen, Michigan (Local Pro Day) - UDFA
Desmond Daniels, Alabama State (FCS Showcase) - UDFA
Nick Dawkins, Penn State (American Bowl) - UDFA
Delby Lemieux, Dartmouth (Local Pro Day) - UDFA
Kayden McDonald, Ohio State (30 visit) - Round 1-2
Tyler Onyedim, Texas A&M (Combine) - Round 3
Chris McClellan, Missouri (Wolf at Pro Day) - Round 3-4
Rayshaun Benny, Michigan (Senior Bowl) - Round 4-5
Gracen Halton, Oklahoma (Pro Day) - Round 4
Nick Barrett, South Carolina (Combine) - Round 5
Kaleb Proctor, Southeastern Louisiana (Combine) - Round 5
Landon Robinson, Navy (East-West Shrine Bowl, Pro Day) - Round 6
Kody Huisman, Virginia Tech (American Bowl) - UDFA
Kevin Jobity Jr., Syracuse (Pro Day) - UDFA
Noah Miles, Howard (HBCU Legacy Bowl) - UDFA
Jernias Tafia, Colorado State (Pro Day) - UDFA
Sedarius McConnell, Boston College (Local Pro Day) - UDFA
Michael Otty, Bryant (Local Pro Day) - UDFA
Dion Wilson Jr., Syracuse (Pro Day) - UDFA
Akheem Mesidor, Miami (Combine, Wolf at Pro Day) - Round 1
T.J. Parker, Clemson (Senior Bowl) - Round 1-2
Zion Young, Missouri (Combine, Eliot Wolf at Pro Day, 30 visit) - Round 1-2
Keldric Faulk, Auburn (Wolf and Groh at Pro Day) - Round 1-2
Malachi Lawrence, UCF (30 visit) - Round 1-2
R. Mason Thomas, Oklahoma (30 visit) - Round 2
Cashius Howell, Texas A&M (Combine) - Round 2
Keyron Crawford, Auburn (Combine, Wolf and Groh at Pro Day, Visit) - Round 2-3
Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State (Senior Bowl, Combine) - Round 2-3
Gabe Jacas, Illinois (30 visit) - Round 2-3
Romello Height, Texas A&M (30 visit) - Round 3
George Gumbs, Florida (30 visit) - Round 5
Quintayvious Hutchins, Boston College (Combine, Vrabel/Mike Smith at Pro Day, Local Pro Day) - Round 6-7
Michael Heldman, Central Michigan (Hula Bowl) - Round 7
Michael Lunz II, South Carolina State (HBCU Legacy Bowl) - UDFA
Dayon Hayes, Texas A&M (American Bowl) - UDFA
Kaghen Roach, Abilene Christian (Pro Day) - UDFA
Bryan Thomas, South Carolina (Pro Day) - UDFA
Chris Wright, Abilene Christian (Pro Day) - UDFA
T.J. Guy, Michigan (Local Pro Day) – UDFA
Keyshaun Elliott, Arizona State (Vrabel at Pro Day) - Round 3
Josiah Trotter, Missouri (Wolf at Pro Day) - Round 3
Jimmy Rolder, Michigan (Pro Day) - Round 4
Wade Woodaz, Clemson (Pro Day) - Round 6
Ernest Hausmann, Michigan (Pro Day) - Round 7
Khalil Jacobs, Missouri (Pro Day, Virtual meeting, 30 visit) - Round 7
Steven Ward, Pittsburgh State (Pro Day) - UDFA
Shad Banks Jr., UTSA (Hula Bowl) - UDFA
Javin Wright, Nebraska (American Bowl) - UDFA
Bryun Parham, Connecticut (Local Pro Day) – UDFA
Noah Barrett, St. Olaf (Pro Day) - UDFA
Keionte Scott, Miami (Combine, Wolf at Pro Day) - Round 2-3
Keith Abney II, Arizona State (Vrabel at Pro Day) - Round 2-3
Andre Fuller, Toledo (East-West Shrine Bowl, Pro Day) - Round 6-7
Toriano Pride Jr., Missouri (Wolf at Pro Day) - Round 6-7
Karon Prunty, Wake Forest (30 visit) - UDFA
Caleb Anderson, Michigan (College Gridiron Showcase) - UDFA
Rashad Battle, Pittsburgh (American Bowl) - UDFA
Elijah Culp, James Madison (American Bowl) - UDFA
Michael Dansby, Arizona (American Bowl) - UDFA
Al’Zillion Hamilton, Fresno State (American Bowl) - UDFA
Jaden Rios, Texas State (Hula Bowl) - UDFA
Nasir Bowers, Toledo (Pro Day) - UDFA
Elias Archie, Brown (Local Pro Day) – UDFA
Shahid Barros, Iowa (Local Pro Day) – UDFA
Malcolm Greene, UMass (Local Pro Day) – UDFA
Devon Marshall, North Carolina State (Local Pro Day) – UDFA
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo (30 visit) - Round 1-2
Zakee Wheatley, Penn State (30 visit) - Round 3
Kamari Ramsey, USC (Combine) - Round 4
Jakobe Thomas, Miami (Wolf at Pro Day) - Round 4-5
Robert Spears-Jennings, Oklahoma (Pro Day) - Round 5
Malik Spencer, Michigan State (30 visit) - Round 7
Dathan Hickey, Youngstown State (College Gridiron Showcase) - UDFA
Cam Smith, Marshall (Hula Bowl) - UDFA
Gavin Gibson, North Carolina (Hula Bowl) - UDFA
Jalen Stroman, Notre Dame (Senior Bowl) - UDFA
Sean Williams, Dartmouth (Pro Day) - UDFA
Garrison Grimes, long snapper, BYU (East-West Shrine Bowl) - UDFA
Laith Merjan, kicker, Kansas (Hula Bowl) - UDFA
Ben Mann, long snapper Boston College (Local Pro Day) - UDFA
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