Round 1, Pick 28: OT Caleb Lomu, Utah
Grade: B
While it may not have been the flashiest pick, it was a responsible one. The Patriots traded up for the Utah left tackle who didn’t allow a sack last year. Among all first-round linemen, he has the lowest career pressure rate allowed, even lower than fellow Ute Spencer Fano, who was selected at No. 9. He’ll add NFL strength in his rookie season and eventually take over for Morgan Moses.
Round 2, Pick 55: ED Gabe Jacas, Illinois
Grade: B+
The Patriots needed an edge rusher, and that’s what they got with Jacas. The senior captain had 11 sacks last season and has a sturdier build than the departed K’Lavon Chaisson. Harold Landry, Dre’Mont Jones and Jacas will hopefully revitalize the team’s pass rush that ranked 22nd in sacks last season.
Round 3, Pick 95: TE Eli Raridon, Notre Dame
Grade: C
A former basketball player, Raridon, tore his ACL twice in college. This past season, he had 32 catches for 482 yards in nine games. He opened up the season with 97 yards against No. 10 Miami and 85 yards against No. 16 Texas A&M, but nearly 38% of his season’s production came in those two games. He should have an instant impact as a blocker and redzone threat, despite no touchdowns last season.
Round 5, Pick 171: CB Karon Prunty, Wake Forest
Grade: C+
Prunty wasn’t invited to the Combine, but he’s a five-year college player who started in the ACC last season. He allowed a sub-50% completion rate and two touchdowns with an 11.9% missed tackle rate. He ran a 4.45s 40-yard dash that should allow him to contribute on special teams immediately, while he could be the team’s fourth cornerback in the long term.
Round 6, Pick 196: OT Dametrious Crownover, Texas A&M
Grade: A+
I had Crownover going to the Patriots at Pick 63 in my mock draft, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise. I think this is a homerun selection in the sixth round. Crownover has an excellent size (6-foot-7, 319 lbs) for the position and could easily claim the swing tackle job after Caleb Lomu eventually steps in for Morgan Moses. An excellent pick for New England late on.
Round 6, Pick 212: LB Namdi Obiazor, TCU
Grade: B
Eliot Wolf mentioned an affinity for the depth of the linebacker class, and Obiazor was clearly among his favorites. The Patriots lost Jack Gibbens, Jahlani Tavai, and Marte Mapu this offseason, while K.J. Britt was the only addition. He’s undersized at 229 pounds, but his 4.53s 40-yard dash could prove useful on special teams. I do, however, feel that Texas A&M’s Taurean York (UDFA) would have been a better selection.
Round 7, Pick 234: QB Behren Morton, Texas Tech
Grade: D-
The Patriots opted to release Josh Dobbs and re-sign Tommy DeVito earlier this offseason, leaving a need for a third quarterback. They used a pair of top 30 visits on late round prospects, with Morton being one of them. While a rookie, Morton is older than Drake Maye. He had a decent college career, with nearly 9,000 passing yards with 78 total touchdowns across five seasons in Lubbock. He had a 66% completion rate with 22 passing touchdowns to 6 interceptions in 2025. While modest stats, he didn’t turn the ball over much in a Power 4 conference. Given his extensive injury history, I didn’t think any team would have drafted Morton, and I also feel there were better options (Kansas’ Jalon Daniels).
Round 7, Pick 245: RB Jam Miller, Alabama
Grade: C
I originally graded this pick a “D,” but I’ve come to understand the Miller pick as time has gone on. The Alabama back is a good athlete: he ran a 4.43s 40-yard dash with a compact frame, and he has the physical makeup of a potentially solid kick returner, which will be important following the release of Antonio Gibson. Following the departure of Justice Haynes to Michigan, a breakout was expected, but he actually saw a regression. He took fewer carries for fewer yards and fewer touchdowns, and he didn’t take a single carry in Alabama’ CFB playoff loss to Indiana. In fairness to Miller, no Alabama player who took 20+ carries during the season had even 4.0 yards per carry, so overall rushing production was down. He’ll compete with Terrell Jennings, Lan Larison and others for the RB3 role.
Round 7, Pick 247: ED Quintayvious Hutchins, Boston College
Grade: F
While this may seem a harsh grade for the 247th pick, simply put, I don’t think Hutchins was a draftable player. He had only 5.5 sacks through his collegiate career, with two coming this season. While the competition he did so against was impressive (Michigan State and Clemson), he was unable to sustain success during a disastrous 2-10 season for BC. Homers may love the connection to the Golden Eagles, but Hutchins wouldn’t likely have had a robust market during rookie free agency, either. Next Gen Stats gave him a 53/99 athletic score, ranking him 33rd in the class on the edge. At 233 pounds, he’s unlikely to hold up in run force, and he didn’t show any signs of versatility in the front seven last year given that 94% of his snaps came off the edge. Hutchins doesn’t look to be a better option than any of New England’s depth options as things stand.