The New England Patriots snapped the Buffalo Bills’ five-year streak of winning the AFC East last season and ultimately advanced to the Super Bowl before being trounced by the Seattle Seahawks in a game that was not as close as the 29-13 score.
Like the Bills, New England prioritized quantity with their 2026 draft class, ultimately making nine selections. The Patriots needed edge-rushing talent on defense and blocking help for Drake Maye.
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Here’s a rundown of their 2026 draft class.
Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
Lomu doesn’t have the length issues of his new offensive tackle contemporary Will Campbell, and while he’s not as fundamentally sound as Campbell was coming out of LSU, he’s a fine athlete and hails from a Utah program that typically coaches their trench players really well. The right tactkle spot was a weak link for the Patriots a season ago, so finding a promising blocker on the edge entering Year 3 of the Drake Maye era represented good process.
Gabe Jacas, EDGE, Illinois
Because of the presence of new Bills defensive line coach Terrance Jamison, and his most recent stint at Illinois, there was a clear tie to Jacas for Buffalo during the 2026 draft cycle. To be frank, I didn’t like his film as much as many others, yet he was a plus tester and plays with plenty of energy. For as improved as the Patriots defensive front was in the middle last season — thanks to the free-agent acquisition of Milton Williams — the club’s edge-rushers were not overly productive in one-on-one situations, and New England finished 26th in the NFL with 35 sacks during the regular season.
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Eli Raridon, TE, Notre Dame
Raridon is one of those tight ends who, when watching him, if you squint, you can convince yourself you’re evaluating an oversized receiver on the field. He tested like a borderline elite athlete and, being that he played his college ball at Notre Dame, is well-versed in the blocking aspect of the game. I expect him to eventually step into a key role on New England’s offense. Upside galore.
Karon Prunty, CB, Wake Forest
This was one of the more head-scratching picks on Day 3… Prunty was not a prospect on the draft radar, and Eliot Wolf selected him in Round 5. He turns 25 in December and had a unique path to the Patriots, even by today’s NIL-transfer portal standards. Freshman All-American at Kansas in 2020, then three seasons at North Carolina A&T before finishing with the Demon Deacons a year ago. Prunty is a long, boundary cornerback and had a pick and eight pass breakups in 2025.
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Dametrious Crownover, OL, Texas A&M
Crownover blocked right next to Bills’ seventh-round pick Ar’maj Reed-Adams as part of an Aggies offensive line that saw four of five starters drafted. Like Reed-Adams, he’s supremely long and demonstrates flashes of freaky athleticism but is a bit unpolished on the outside. More blocking help. Prudent.
Namdi Obiazor, LB, TCU
Another teammate of a Bills draft pick, Obiazor patrolled the middle of the field for the Horned Frogs with Buffalo’s fourth-round pick Kaleb Elarms-Orr in 2024 and 2025. Already 24, he’s an older prospect, yet clearly the TCU program had a type at off-ball linebacker, because Obiazor too was heady in coverage and played with plus range and tenacity against the run.
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Behren Morton, QB, Texas Tech
Probably not a brutal idea to invest in a developmental backup later in the draft when you’re franchise quarterback is entering Year 3 — heck, it’s precisely what the Bills did with Jake Fromm in 2019. This feels eerily similar too, because, like Fromm, Morton does not have anywhere close to the physical skills of the starter on the team that drafted him. Also similar to Fromm — he enjoyed a rather productive collegiate career and got plenty of experience as a three-year starter.
Jam Miller, RB, Alabama
Miller was selected at No. 245 overall, so I can’t be overly critical here — I just didn’t get this selection really at all. The more he carried the football at Alabama, the less efficient he was across four seasons with the Crimson Tide, and he didn’t test particularly well beyond his 4.42 in the 40-yard dash.
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Quintayvious Hutchins, EDGE, Boston College
Hutchins is somewhat of a traits-based “designed pass-rusher,” to use a Brandon Beane term, who was rather productive in college flying around the corner for the Eagles. It wasn’t that he tested outstandingly — quite the contrary, actually. The traits-appeal comes from Hutchins long arms at just over 6’2”, but he tipped the scales at only 233 pounds at the combine. This is a sensible albeit unspectacular flier selection late in the draft for a team that needs outside pass-rush reinforcement.
