Karen Guregian: 8 takeaways from Patriots 2026 draft class

And that’s fine. They were really thin depth-wise at so many positions. They needed to plug as many holes as possible.

Whether they actually scored players who will be long-term solutions remains to be seen.

Last season, they had quite a few rookies (Will Campbell, Jared Wilson, TreVeyon Henderson, Kyle Williams, Craig Woodson) either start or contribute. They also had a successful rookie kicker in Andy Borregalas.

At first glance, it doesn’t appear the 2026 class will have that kind of impact right away. There’s quite a few developmental, special teams types.

Will Campbell was put on notice

Of course the Patriots braintrust didn’t say that Campbell was in jeopardy of losing his job. Wolf made sure to point out Campbell was the team’s starting left tackle.

But, it’s clear he’s going to have competition, and, at the very least, that’s a good thing.

Campbell, the team’s first-round pick last season and fourth overall selection, really didn’t feel threatened from the early camps on.

While he’s vowed to come back better and stronger after a rough playoff ride, it’s important not to let him feel too comfortable.

Enter first-round tackle Caleb Lomu. He was primarily used as a left tackle at Utah, although he has the ability to play on the right side, which is important given Morgan Moses’ age.

Lomu will likely begin as a swing tackle, but if he’s a quick enough study, could push to start on either side.

Going back to the well with Dametrious Crownover, a mammoth left tackle who’s 6-foot7, 329 pounds with massive 36-inch arms, further illustrates the point.

While Crownover is more of a developmental pick worth taking a flier on, it’s hard to ignore his traits and the possibilities those might bring if he can improve.

Why so many offensive tackles?

With two added this year, that’s four in the past two drafts.

While some might feel that’s an unnecessary excess, you can never have enough quality tackles on the roster.

It’s such an important position. Having surrendered a record 21 sacks in the postseason, protecting Drake Maye has to be a priority.

Adding Crownover might also indicate the level of faith the Patriots have in 2025 7th round pick Marcus Bryant, who rarely got on the field last year.

It’s a position where starters and backups on both the left and right side have to be capable.

Biggest reach?

The selection of Wake Forest cornerback Karon Prunty in the fifth round was a head-scratcher to many so-called draft experts.

Prunty was widely projected to be an undrafted free agent. Dare I say, taking him where they did was somewhat Belichickian.

Ultimately, this is going to come down to the Patriots evaluators versus other experts in the field and who made the call correctly.

Prunty does have good height for the position (6-foot-1), as well as speed (4.45-second 40-yard-dash), but he’s bounced between schools, and is an older 24-year-old prospect.

They could have waited on him, or even snagged a younger prospect with a similar skillset to add depth behind Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III and Marcus Jones.

Favorite pick?

Gabe Jacas.

The Illinois edge rusher, taken in the second round, proudly boasts his past as a wrestler, and how that helped him be a better pass rusher.

The two-time state wrestling champion credits his hand-fighting ability to his days as a grappler.

He has also worked with former Patriots pass-rush specialist Joe Kim at Illinois. So that seems like a win-win situation.

Beyond that, he’s smart, strong, has a relentless motor, and was a team captain. Some have compared him to a young Matthew Judon.

Particularly love this description from the Athletic’s Dane Brugler: “With his rocked-up, athletic build, Jacas is a quick and violent pass rusher who doesn’t need a long runway.”

Love this one, too, from an NFC Scouting director to NFL.Com: “Play-through-your-face type of guy.”

Pick most intrigued by?

Eli Raridon.

The Nore Dame tight end, taken in the third round, has had some past knee issues, but was given the green light from the Patriots medical personnel.

At 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, he’ll provide Drake Maye a big target over the middle and down the seams. He’s a so-so blocker, which is better than most, but is more known as a pass catcher.

He ran a 4.62 in the 40-yard-dash, which is elite for a tight end. He has enormous hands and a huge wingspan (80 inches). As a former basketball player, that comes into play in his ability to come away with 50-50 balls.

He’s considered an “ascending” talent. The Patriots can’t have enough of those.

Reading the tea leaves on A.J. Brown

The Patriots have to be pretty sure they’re going to land Brown.

If they don’t, they’ll have a lot of egg on their face for completely dismissing a strong receiver draft.

After letting top receiver Stefon Diggs go, and adding Romeo Doubs in free agency, the receiver room hasn’t necessarily improved.

It’s about the same, or perhaps a bit worse given Doubs has yet to be a 1,000-yard receiver.

Even with Diggs, the Patriots had a receiver room that struggled against man-coverage, didn’t fare as well against the better defenses, and lacked a true No. 1.

If the Patriots can’t complete a trade with the Eagles for Brown, they haven’t improved in an area that’s vital for Maye.

Picks have more of a feel for the future, not the present

It seems like the Patriots came away from their Super Bowl loss thinking they weren’t as close to winning a title as their appearance in the big game would suggest.

Many, if not all, of the 2026 picks are geared toward the future. Not the present.

They’re not necessarily aimed at winning the Lombardi now.

Some of that is the by-product of picking so late in every round. It’s much easier to land game-changing type players at the top of rounds.

As it is, they moved up the board to get the last best tackle (Lomu) before seeing a huge drop off. To a degree, they did the same with edge rusher Jacas.

All of which isn’t to say it was a bad draft. On the surface, it was probably B-to-B-minus range.

And with Vrabel away dealing with his off-field situation, they’ll certainly take that grade if it holds up.

More Patriots Content

• After being called NFL’s ‘33rd team,’ UNC didn’t have one player drafted
• What experts have to say about Patriots’ 2026 NFL Draft
• Meet the nine players the Patriots selected in 2026 NFL Draft
• Patriots rookie QB says he’ll get Drake Maye coffee from Starbucks if that’s what it takes

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