Latest update reveals reason why Patriots are stockpiling draft picks

The 2026 NFL Draft is less than two weeks away, and people are already theorizing about what the New England Patriots will do with their arsenal of 11 draft picks ahead of the three-day event.

With eight of the Patriots' picks being on Day 3, many speculate that the team will use those picks as bargaining chips to potentially trade up on the board. ESPN's Mike Reiss shared the same line of thinking in a recent draft nugget.

Reiss wrote:

"The Patriots have two fourth-rounders and four sixth-rounders and, according to some scouts, this year's draft is not considered as strong on Day 3 as it was in 2025. So, the Patriots are expected to explore the possibility of using some of those Day 3 picks as chips in trades to better position themselves for players they are targeting earlier in the draft."

The extra draft picks will create an opportunity for the Patriots to get aggressive in filling clear areas of need on their roster.

They could use another offensive tackle, tight end and interior defensive lineman. Even if they sign A.J. Brown down the road, they might want to explore the possibility of adding another playmaking receiver. And perhaps the biggest need of all is an edge rusher. That unit looks completely unfinished with little depth behind Dre'Mont Jones and Harold Landry III.

At the very least, the extra draft picks give the Patriots options. They could use them as trade pieces or to take more shots at the board on actual players.

No plan is set in stone until draft day, when names start coming off the board. That's when the real decisions will be made that can ultimately make or break the team's hopes of returning to the playoffs in 2026.

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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Latest update reveals reason why Patriots are stockpiling draft picks