Patriots Predicted To Select 20-Sack Defensive End To Bolster Front With Dre’Mont Jones

UCF defensive lineman Malachi Lawrence

Patriots Predicted To Select 20-Sack Defensive End To Bolster Front With Dre’Mont Jones originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The 2026 NFL Draft will begin Thursday night, and unlike last year, the Patriots will make their pick at the end of the evening.

New England has a variety of options to weigh for the No. 31 pick, and Nathan Jahnke from Pro Football Focus predicted that the Patriots will choose UCF pass rusher Malachi Lawrence at that spot.

"New England had a top-six offense and a strong secondary, but its biggest weakness was the front seven," Jahnke wrote on Monday. "The team’s leader in pressures, K’Lavon Chaisson, left in free agency. The other edge rusher from last season, Harold Landry Jr., has never earned a pass-rush grade above 65.0 in a season.

"The Patriots added Dre’Mont Jones in free agency, but could still use another rotational piece. While Lawrence did not produce like a typical first-round edge rusher at UCF, he ranked at or above the 93rd percentile in the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, 10-yard split, vertical jump and broad jump at the combine."