Patriots land two massive playmakers in Mel Kiper's latest mock draft

The 2026 NFL Draft is almost upon the New England Patriots.

The wave of pre-draft projections are coming to a head, with edge rushers and wide receivers heavily forecasted to land in New England with the No. 31 overall pick in the draft.

According to ESPN’s Mel Kiper (via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan), in his final mock draft of the offseason, the Patriots take Miami edge rusher Akheem Mesidor at No. 31 overall, followed by Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell II at No. 63 in the second round of the draft.

The Patriots will have reason to feel like big winners if they’re able to come away with Mesidor, as well as Brazzell, with their first two picks in the draft.

Mesidor led the ACC in sacks in 2025 with 12.5. He also recorded 17.5 tackles for loss last season at Miami. Mesidor’s ferocity as a pass rusher makes him a prospect that satisfies any team’s desire to play with violence on defense, the Patriots included.

Brazzell went for 1,017 receiving yards last season at Tennessee. The 22-year-old also led the SEC in receiving touchdowns in 2025 with nine. Brazzell excels as a route-runner and has a massive catch radius at 6-foot-4.

Still, he also comes off as a prospect in need of development to begin his career, which the Patriots have the structure to do next season, given their deep receiving corps.

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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots land two massive playmakers in Mel Kiper's latest mock draft