Patriots Take At 247: Quintayvious Hutchins, A Tale of Two Tapes

The Patriots selected Hutchins as their Mr. Irrelevant being their last pick of the 2026 NFL draft. Is this prospect a diamond or a piece of practice squad coal.

Background

Quintayvious Hutchins is a 23-year-old, 6'3", 233-pound edge rusher out of Boston College. A native of Bessemer, Alabama, he spent all five college seasons with the Eagles, beginning as a special teams contributor before earning a starting role in 2024. He appeared in 43 career games with 16 starts, finishing with 72 combined tackles, 9 TFLs, 5.5 sacks, one interception, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble. His 2025 season produced 35 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, and 2 sacks across 10 games as a team captain. His PFF grade was 68.2 in 2025. Mike Vrabel personally attended his pro day and worked with Hutchins one-on-one testing hand placement and strength, which is the most concrete signal of organizational interest available at this pick range.

The Good

The bend and get-off combination is the trait that got him drafted. At 233 pounds, getting around the corner against NFL tackles requires genuine hip flexibility and acceleration out of the stance, and Hutchins has both. He turns the corner after his club-rip without losing balance, which is a technically refined skill for a player with his experience level. His spin counter is a real weapon, not a desperation move, and having a second viable pass rush move gives him a counter structure that most late-round edge prospects lack entirely. His edge-setting against the run is legitimate and is the specific trait that separates him from a pure speed-rush specialty player. He uses lateral agility and leverage rather than power to hold his gap, and it works consistently enough to make him a potential three-down option rather than a passing-down-only rotation piece. His pursuit speed is documented across multiple evaluations. The Ourlads note about notable footspeed in pursuit is confirmed by the tape: he tracks down plays from the backside and chases ball carriers to the perimeter at a rate his athleticism testing does not fully predict. Team captain in 2025 and a documented four-year special teams contributor gives him the character and utility profile that keeps late-round picks on rosters.

The Bad

The size is the structural problem and it does not resolve with development. At 233 pounds he will be bodied by NFL-caliber tackles who can latch onto him and neutralize the bend and quickness that make him dangerous. Against longer tackles specifically he struggles to keep his rush lane clean because his punch cannot generate enough displacement to create the separation his arc requires. His career sack production of 5.5 across 43 games is below the threshold you want to see from a player whose primary draft value is pass rushing. The get-off is inconsistent. He times snaps correctly on his best reps and is late out of his stance on his worst, which is the kind of hot-and-cold variance that NFL offensive linemen will exploit with preparation. His pass rush plan beyond the club-rip and spin counter is thin. Once a prepared tackle takes away his two primary moves he does not have a reliable third option, which means a veteran left tackle with a week of film study can functionally eliminate him. His combine testing was below the edge rusher field, and his overall rank of 247th on the consensus board reflects the league-wide view that the tools are developmental rather than ready.

The Overall

The plan mirrors every other Day 3 pick in this class. Dre'Mont Jones and Harold Landry III are the starting edges. Gabe Jacas is the Day 2 investment being developed. Hutchins slots in behind that group competing with Elijah Ponder, Bradyn Swinson, and Jesse Luketa for the final edge spot, with special teams as his primary path to the 53-man roster.

The Vrabel pro day interaction is the most meaningful data point in this evaluation. Head coaches do not personally test hand placement on players they are not seriously considering. The organizational knowledge of Hutchins is deeper than his draft position suggests, and the special teams captain profile at Boston College is exactly the kind of late-round foundation New England has historically built depth from.

What the skeptical read misses is that the two-move pass rush arsenal plus legitimate edge-setting at his weight is a functional NFL role even if the ceiling never expands. A player who can contribute on two special teams units and rotate as a third-down pass rusher in obvious situations does not need to become a starter to justify a seventh-round selection. The concern is whether he adds enough mass to survive NFL contact without losing the quickness that makes him viable, because at 233 pounds the margin for error in the run game is already thin.

The floor is a practice squad edge who never solves the size problem. The ceiling is a rotational speed rusher who earns his roster spot through special teams and develops a third pass rush move that extends his viability on obvious passing downs.

Player Comps: Trey Flowers ceiling. Kasim Edebali floor.

Patriots Take At 245: Jam Miller, A Tale of Two Tapes

The Patriots added a stable back late in day three. The big question with Miller is, did the Patriots find someone who can contribute on game day or during the week in practice?

Background

Jam Miller is a 22-year-old, 5'10", 209-pound running back out of Alabama. A four-star recruit from Tyler, Texas, he held the career rushing record at Tyler Legacy High School before committing to the Crimson Tide over a competitive offer pool. He played in 51 career games across four seasons, beginning as a special teams contributor before ascending to primary ball carrier over the final two years. His 2024 season was his statistical peak at 145 carries for 668 yards and seven touchdowns at 4.6 yards per carry. His 2025 season was complicated by a collarbone injury suffered in a fall scrimmage that cost him three games, and he finished at 130 carries for 504 yards and three touchdowns at 3.9 per carry. He also added 19 receptions for 109 yards that season. Career ball security: two fumbles on 350 rushing attempts. He recorded a 4.42 forty at the combine, fourth among running backs.

The Good

The physical profile for gap scheme running is legitimate. At 209 pounds with a naturally low center of gravity and genuine knee bend, Miller runs behind his pads the way power backs are supposed to. Contact balance is his calling card. He absorbs arm tackles, drives his feet through initial contact, and falls forward consistently rather than going down at first touch. The leg drive is audible on tape. The one-cut decisiveness is a genuine asset in gap concepts: he plants, identifies the crease, and gets vertical without hesitation. That is a coachable skill many backs never develop. Ball security across 350 career attempts with two fumbles is elite-level technique, not luck. The 4.42 forty confirms speed that the build does not immediately suggest. He got on the field as a true freshman at Alabama behind two established backs, which reflects genuine early coaching trust. His special teams history at Alabama is real and documented, which at pick 245 is the primary reason he makes a roster.

The Bad

The efficiency drop in 2025 is the honest problem and the collarbone injury does not fully explain it. He went from 4.6 to 3.9 yards per carry while still serving as the lead back, and never broke a run of 25-plus yards the entire season. The big-play ceiling problem predates the injury: only four games all season with a 10-plus yard run. That is not a scheme problem at Alabama; that is a vision and elusiveness problem. He does not make defenders miss in space. He is a straight-line runner who delivers contact better than he avoids it, which at the NFL level means predictable outcomes against defensive backs with angles. His receiving profile is thin. Nineteen receptions is adequate volume but his hands are inconsistent, with five drops on 40 career receptions, and his route running is underdeveloped. Pass protection is a legitimate concern. He has the play strength but not the technique or anticipation to be a reliable third-down back, which limits his early-down value even further. The vertical and broad jump ranked last among combine participants, confirming the athleticism ceiling that the tape already suggested.

The Overall

The plan is direct. Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson are the top two backs. New England needed a third option who could contribute on special teams while developing into a short-yardage complement in a gap-heavy run scheme. Miller fits that role precisely. He is not a three-down back. He might never be. The receiving and pass protection deficiencies are real development problems that will keep him off the field on passing downs until they are addressed.

What the skeptical read misses is how specifically Miller fits what New England's offense asks from its depth backs. Gap scheme north-south running, physical short-yardage production, elite ball security, and special teams experience are the exact four criteria for a seventh-round running back on a rebuilding roster. The 4.42 speed gives him a dimension that the build does not advertise, and the two-year starter experience at Alabama gives him a football processing baseline that undrafted free agents cannot match.

The ceiling is a situational power back in a committee who earns snaps in the fourth quarter and short-yardage packages while contributing on two special teams units. The floor is a practice squad body who never solves the receiving and pass protection limitations that keep him off the field in modern NFL packages. At 245, with a genuine position need and a clear role identified, this is the correct kind of late bet.

Player Comps: Mike Gillislee ceiling. Tyler Gaffney floor.

Patriots Take At 234: Behren Morton, A Tale of Two Tapes

Patriots have a sub par arm cerebral quarterback to backup Maye, could Morton be the Patriots' next career Brian Hoyer?

Background

Behren Morton is a 24-year-old, 6'2", 221-pound quarterback out of Texas Tech. A four-star recruit from Eastland, Texas, he turned down Baylor, TCU, SMU, and Texas A&M to stay in-state with the Red Raiders. He inherited the starting job in 2023 after Tyler Shough's injury and never gave it back, finishing his career with a 26-10 record as a starter, 71 touchdowns, 28 interceptions, and nearly 1,400 career dropbacks. He was a two-year captain. His 2025 season was his most efficient, posting career highs in completion rate and yards per attempt while leading Texas Tech to an 11-1 regular season record and a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. He also played through a Grade 3 AC joint tear and a hairline leg fracture that season without missing starts. His injury history is the primary medical concern: shoulder surgery, multiple lower-leg injuries, a tricep strain, and concussion protocol across three seasons.

The Good

The efficiency curve is real and it matters for quarterback evaluation. Morton improved his completion rate and yards per attempt every season from 2023 through 2025, which is the development arc you want to see from a developmental passer entering the NFL. His short and intermediate accuracy is legitimate. He completed 76.2 percent of between-the-numbers throws in 2025 with a 13-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio in that window. His release is compact with minimal wasted motion, and he can deliver from varied arm angles off-platform without losing accuracy on short throws, which is a real and undervalued skill. His football intelligence is the most consistent positive across evaluations. He processes progressions, identifies the Mike backer pre-snap, executes RPO reads with appropriate hip quickness, and operates no-huddle tempo offense efficiently. Two-year captain with a 26-10 record reflects genuine leadership credibility, not a ceremonial title. His toughness is documented on tape, not self-reported. Playing through a Grade 3 AC joint tear and a leg fracture without missing starts in a playoff season is the kind of competitive floor that Josh McDaniels can work with.

The Bad

The arm talent ceiling is the honest limiting factor and multiple independent evaluations converge on it. His passes lose velocity and accuracy past 20 yards. Deep sideline throws and over-the-top throws to beating safeties are not reliable weapons in his arsenal, which in the modern NFL significantly constrains the offensive concepts he can execute at a high level. His arm length at 30 5/8 inches is below the preferred threshold and his combine measurements were not attended, which creates incomplete medical information on a player with a documented injury history. He is not an anticipatory thrower. He waits for receivers to clear before triggering, which at the NFL level means arriving into tightening windows rather than ahead of them. He bails clean pockets prematurely, leaving designed concepts without enough time to develop. Coverage confusion post-snap is a documented problem. Zierlein's assessment that he lacks functional arm talent to push into windows or beat safeties is the most damaging credible critique because it describes a ceiling problem, not a development problem. The Ian Book comp from NFL.com is the honest floor projection and it is not an encouraging one.

The Overall

The plan appears simple. Drake Maye is the franchise quarterback. Tommy DeVito is the veteran backup. New England needed a third option to develop on the roster or practice squad under Josh McDaniels and Ashton Grant, who both demand advanced conceptual understanding from their quarterbacks. Morton took a predraft visit to Foxborough, which signals genuine organizational interest rather than a dart throw on Day 3.

What makes Morton a defensible seventh-round bet rather than a charity selection is the intelligence profile and the toughness documentation. McDaniels has historically developed quarterbacks who process quickly in the short-to-intermediate game, and Morton's efficiency in that window is genuine. The Brock Purdy comparable grade from NFL.com is not a ceiling projection but it is relevant context. Purdy was 5.7, Morton is 5.6. Purdy's arm talent is also not elite. What separated Purdy was intelligence and system fit. The question for Morton is whether the system fit with McDaniels is real enough to replicate that outcome, and whether the injury history holds.

The ceiling is a functional backup starter in a scheme that protects his limitations. The floor is a practice squad developmental arm who never sticks. At pick 234, with a genuine organizational need at the position and a documented predraft visit confirming mutual interest, this is the correct kind of seventh-round bet on a high-character, high-intelligence player whose physical tools are limited but whose competitive floor is established.

Player Comps: Brock Purdy ceiling. Ian Book floor.

Patriots Take At 212: Namdi Obiazor, A Tale of Two Tapes

The Patriots bring in a late round hybrid linebacker, this can be either ideal or will show the team had the right idea but scouted poorly.

Background

Namdi Obiazor is a 24-year-old, 6'3", 229-pound linebacker out of TCU. He began his college career as a defensive back at Iowa Western Community College, where he earned NJCAA First-Team All-American honors in 2021. He transferred to TCU and converted from safety to linebacker, spending four years with the Horned Frogs and gaining additional eligibility through the Diego Pavia lawsuit injunction. He started 25 of his last 26 games and appeared in 53 total, finishing his career with 302 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and three interceptions. His final season produced 88 tackles, four TFLs, two sacks, two interceptions, and one forced fumble as a full-time starter. He earned two All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selections. He was a 9.14 to 9.56 RAS depending on the source, with a 4.53 forty and 37-inch vertical at the combine confirming the athleticism that was not available on JUCO tape when he entered the portal.

The Good

The safety conversion background is the most interesting thing about this player and it is not a gimmick. Converting from safety to linebacker and producing 80-plus tackles in three consecutive seasons while earning back-to-back All-Big 12 recognition is real football production, not a workout number inflated by scheme. His pursuit speed is legitimate. The 4.53 forty at 229 pounds translates directly to range in zone coverage and closing speed on ball carriers in the open field. His tackling mechanics are sound. He fights through contact, maintains form, and converts tackles near the line and in space at a reliable rate. His hands as a block beater are a genuine asset given his size, described across multiple evaluations as a positive trait for a player his weight. He was productive on both punt and punt return teams in college, which is the primary reason he is on this roster. The Patriots lost a significant portion of their core special teams snap count in free agency and Obiazor fills that void directly. His motor and competitive grit are consistent across all evaluations. He got better each year from JUCO to Big 12 starter, which is the development curve you want to see from a late-round pick.

The Bad

The size is the first honest problem. At 229 pounds he is undersized for a true three-down inside linebacker in an NFL base defense, and the Ourlads note about short length compounds it. He can be displaced at the point of attack by NFL-caliber guards and fullbacks who generate upward leverage into his chest. His lateral agility and change-of-direction scores are below average, which limits his range in zone coverage and his ability to stay clean against pulling linemen in space. The instinct problems flagged by Brugler are real. He bites on route stems and play-action fakes, and there is feast-or-famine variance in his coverage reps that a player with his athleticism should not have at this stage of development. The film speed does not consistently match the combine speed, which is the classic tell for a player who tested well but processes slowly. He was projected as a fifth-round pick by multiple services and slid to 212, which suggests the league-wide evaluation of those instinct problems was consistent rather than isolated.

The Overall

The plan is not complicated. Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss are the starting linebackers. K.J. Britt is the projected top backup. Obiazor slots in behind that and competes for a third-down role while earning his roster spot through special teams volume. That is an honest and achievable ask for a sixth-round pick with his profile.

What gets underweighted in the skeptical reads is the conversion arc. A player who started as a JUCO safety, converted to linebacker, and produced 302 career tackles across 53 games at a Power Four program has demonstrated the kind of adaptability and coachability that late-round picks need to stick. The athleticism is real. The tackling is real. The special teams value is real and immediately needed. The ceiling as a three-down linebacker depends entirely on whether the instinct and processing problems are fixable with NFL-level film work, which they might be for a player who has already made one successful position conversion.

The C+ to B range of grades in media circles is honest. He is not a starter. He might not ever be. But at 212, a high-motor safety convert with a legitimate athletic profile and documented special teams experience filling a genuine roster need is the correct kind of late-round bet.

Player Comps: Myles Jack ceiling. Joe Thomas (LB, not OT) floor.

Patriots Take At 196: Dametrious Crownover, A Tale of Two Tapes

The Patriots double dip at tackle, going back to the well in day three. They should now have their swing tackle in Crownover, who could be a surprise weapon on the goal-line 

Background

Dametrious Crownover is a 24-year-old, 6'7", 319-pound offensive tackle out of Texas A&M. A two-sport standout from Grandview, Texas, he arrived in College Station in 2021 as a 4-star tight end recruit per ESPN (3-star by 247 and Rivals) before being moved to the offensive line during his redshirt year. He appeared in 47 career games with 28 starts, all at right tackle. His best season was 2024, when he anchored a Texas A&M rushing attack that ranked 26th nationally at 195.5 yards per game and allowed zero sacks across 13 starts. He returned for a fifth year in 2025, logging every start again. He has no documented injury history.

The Good

The physical profile is genuinely rare. 6'7" with 35 3/8-inch arms and the movement background of a converted tight end is not a combination that appears in most draft classes. His length alone makes basic high-side pass rush moves a chore. He casts a wide net at the point of attack and is able to reassert control after losing hand position, using reach to recover reps that smaller tackles cannot. His football IQ transfers from his tight end background: he handles double teams intelligently, feeds defensive tackles across to the guard, and locates second-level targets in space on designed runs. His motor and finishing mentality are genuine character traits on tape. He runs his feet through contact and does not quit on reps. The 2024 tape, where he kept his quarterback clean across an entire SEC schedule, is the evidence that the ceiling is real. When his pad level is right and his hands land clean, he drives defenders off the ball with legitimate power.

The Bad

The pass protection arrow is pointing the wrong direction, and that is the core problem. His overall PFF grade was 65.2 in 2025, with a 58.4 pass blocking grade ranked 419th out of 632 eligible tackles. He allowed 27 total pressures and 23 hurries that season, a significant regression from 2024. For a player in his fifth year as a starter, getting worse in pass protection rather than better is a legitimate developmental red flag. The mechanical cause is consistent across tape: he plays too tall, his hands land too high and too wide, and he cannot anchor when bull rushers get underneath his pads. Lateral quickness is a genuine limitation. He struggles to redirect against inside counters that cross his face and cannot recover when he falls behind on speed-to-power conversions. The penalty spike from 3 flags in 2024 to 11 in 2025 is not a random variance problem. It reflects the same technique breakdowns showing up in the block count data. He is slow to set, reaching around defenders' shoulders rather than into the chest plate, and when he gets beaten he gets grabby. All of this at age 24 entering the NFL raises the honest question of whether the ceiling actually closes before it ever opens.

The Overall

The plan is clear. Morgan Moses is 35 and a short-term bridge. Caleb Lomu is the long-term answer at right tackle, drafted at 28 to develop behind Moses before taking the job. Crownover slots in as the third option, a developmental swing tackle who contributes in heavy run packages and on the goal line while the line in front of him stabilizes. That is a defensible role for a sixth-round pick with rare physical tools.

What makes this pick interesting rather than obvious is the gap between the 2024 and 2025 tape. The 2024 version of Crownover is a functional starting right tackle in a gap scheme who can anchor an elite rushing attack. The 2025 version is a technically regressing player with a penalty problem and a pass protection grade near the bottom of the eligible pool. The physical tools have not changed between those two seasons. The technique did. That suggests the ceiling is coaching-dependent in a way that most developmental prospects are not. A staff that fixes the pad level and hand placement has a legitimate starting right tackle. A staff that cannot runs out of time on his rookie contract.

The Aaron Banks comp from Steelers Depot is apt. Smart, physical, big build, high pad level, poor hand discipline. Banks found a role. Crownover can too. The Kiran Amegadjie comp from NFL.com is honest about the floor. At pick 196, rare tools plus a coachable technique problem is exactly the kind of bet a rebuilding team should be making.

Player Comps: Aaron Banks ceiling. Kiran Amegadjie floor.

Patriots Take At 171: Karon Prunty, A Tale of Two Tapes

Draft Diamond Karon Prunty, welcome to New England. Taken at pick 171, everyone is wondering who this player outside the top 500 NFL concensus board is.

Background

Karon Prunty is a 24-year-old, 6'2", 192-pound cornerback out of Wake Forest. A three-star recruit from I.C. Norcom High School in Virginia, his college career spanned three programs across six years. He started at Kansas in 2020 as a true freshman All-American, transferred to North Carolina A&T following a coaching change, and finished at Wake Forest in 2025 where he earned Third Team All-ACC honors as the team's No. 1 boundary corner. He logged over 3,000 career defensive snaps and eclipsed 50 career starts. His 2022 season at A&T was statistically his best coverage year, posting four interceptions and a 33.1 passer rating allowed. His final season at Wake Forest produced 40 tackles, one sack, one interception, eight pass breakups, one forced fumble, and a 44.4 percent catch rate allowed.

The Good

The athleticism profile is legitimate for his draft slot. The 4.45 forty and 6.82 three-cone at Wake Forest's pro day are the headline numbers, and the three-cone specifically would have ranked first among all cornerbacks at the 2026 combine. That change-of-direction score confirms what the tape shows in zone coverage: quick burst downhill, good feel for route progressions developing behind him, and the ability to close on underneath throws before the receiver can turn upfield. The length at 6'2" with 31.75-inch arms gives him the catch radius to contest throws that shorter corners cannot reach. His ball skills are genuine. Eight career interceptions across three programs reflects consistent production at the catch point, not a one-year spike. His 8.65 RAS ranked 415th out of 3,075 corners evaluated since 1987. He held Wake Forest's third-best passing defense in the ACC to 11 touchdowns and 2,396 yards as a unit. The straight-line speed to recover after being beaten is real, and his hip fluidity in zone to chase routes downfield is the trait that got him a top-30 visit from four teams including New England.

The Bad

The bench press and vertical were red flags on his RAS profile, and the tape confirms the underlying problem. Prunty lacks functional strength, and it shows up consistently in press coverage. He cannot generate enough power in his punch to disrupt releases at the line, which means physical receivers can knock him off his assignment at the stem before the route even develops. He plays with too much cushion in off coverage, a conservative tendency that allows quick completions in front of him and gives the offense easy yardage. He is not a sudden athlete. Body stiffness when redirecting laterally limits his effectiveness against quicker slot-type routes. His 2023 season at A&T showed the ceiling of that stiffness problem, posting a 94.7 passer rating allowed when targeted. He did not play special teams at Wake Forest last season, which removes one of the primary reasons fifth-round corners make rosters. The consensus league-wide view had him as an undrafted priority free agent or a seventh-round flier at best. Phil Perry's D grade at NBC Sports largely reflects opportunity cost rather than the player himself, but the evaluation of what New England passed on is a legitimate critique. Younger corners with comparable measurables were still available when Prunty was selected.

The Overall

The plan is straightforward. Christian Gonzalez is the locked-in starter and franchise corner. Carlton Davis is the veteran boundary starter behind him at significant cap cost. Behind those two, New England had a genuine depth problem after Alex Austin moved to Miami. Prunty adds length, ball skills, and a tested three-cone profile to a position group that needed volume as much as anything. The developmental runway is one year of special teams contribution and rotational boundary snaps before any starter conversation becomes relevant.

What the skeptical read misses is that the legitimate concern about Prunty is not his tools, it is his strength and his special teams blank slate. Both are coachable problems inside a year-one developmental role. A corner who cannot generate press power can still be a functional off-coverage boundary option in a defense that does not demand it every snap. The three-cone score is a real separator. The ball production is real. The size is real. What is absent is the press physicality and the special teams track record that typically justify fifth-round investment. Both need to develop before he holds a meaningful roster spot.

The floor is a practice squad boundary option who never solves the strength problem. The ceiling is a rotational starter alongside Gonzalez by year two who earns his roster spot through special teams contributions in year one. The D grade is too harsh on the player and too kind to the opportunity cost framing. At 171, with the depth situation New England was managing, the pick is defensible even if not obvious.

Player Comps: Jaycee Horn ceiling and William Jackson III floor.

Patriots Take At 95: Eli Raridon, A Tale of Two Tapes

At pick 95, the Patriots selected ELI RARIDON Tight End, NOTRE DAME. SENIOR at 6-6, 245 LBS.

Background

The son of former Notre Dame offensive lineman Scott Raridon, Eli grew up inside Fighting Irish football before following his father to South Bend. At Valley High School in West Des Moines he earned Elite All-Iowa recognition as a senior, posting 53 catches for 627 yards and 10 touchdowns, and added Second Team All-State basketball honors the year prior. Four major recruiting services gave him four stars. The projection was a legitimate pass-catching weapon.

That projection got buried immediately. Raridon tore his right ACL during his senior basketball season, then re-tore the same knee in October 2022 as a true freshman. Two reconstructions on the same joint cost him nearly two full seasons. He finally played meaningful football in 2024 across 16 games during Notre Dame's national championship run. The 2025 season became his showcase, starting all 12 games and finishing third on the team with 32 receptions for 482 yards, averaging 15.1 yards per catch. His career-best game came against NC State, seven catches and 109 yards. Across 36 career games he evolved from a medical project into the most intriguing vertical tight end in a thin class. The Patriots selected him 95th overall in the third round.

The Good

Raridon's calling card is downfield production and it is legitimate. He caught all eight of his 20-plus air yard targets in 2025. That is not a fluke. It is the product of genuine ball tracking, above-average grip strength, and the spatial intelligence to locate himself inside broken coverages before the quarterback even processes the throw. The length at 6-6 with 10.75-inch hands creates a catch radius that makes him a fundamentally quarterback-friendly target. Drake Maye throwing into the seam to a target that size is a schematic problem defenses have to account for on every play-action snap.

The athleticism is real and it registered where it matters. A 9.6 RAS at his size is a legitimate athletic outlier. The 4.62 forty and 36-inch vertical at 245 pounds tell you the basketball background translated. He builds speed progressively down the field and the tape confirms it, threatening safeties vertically in a way that creates underneath windows for every other receiver on the field. For an offense that wants to run play-action and attack the middle of the field, that vertical threat from the Y position is immediately deployable value.

His blocking is further along than the measurables suggest it should be. The grip strength that shows up in his receiving transfers directly to his blocking sustain. On split-zone runs he flies across the line of scrimmage and takes out defensive ends with genuine pop. He locates linebackers and defensive backs at the second level and displaces them consistently. He is not ready to stone defensive ends one-on-one every snap, but the effort and technique foundation are already there in a way that allows three-down usage within a reasonable developmental window.

The zone awareness is an advanced trait for a player with his snap count. He finds voids between coverage levels, settles into open grass, and catches passes in rhythm rather than fighting for separation on every route. Against Notre Dame's primary coverages that showed up repeatedly. For an offense that deploys heavy play-action with structure underneath, that feel for zone is immediately usable.

The Bad

Two ACLs on the same knee is the first sentence in any honest evaluation of this player. Medical staff determines whether draft capital is warranted before any other conversation starts. Assuming doctors clear him, the tape concerns are real and specific.

His route tree is thin and it showed up in the target distribution. Only seven of his 44 targets in 2025 went to the intermediate area between 10 and 19 yards. That is an unusual restriction for a tight end and it reflects genuine limitation. Against man coverage he cannot create consistent separation. His routes run too tall, he lacks the sudden hip redirect to shake physical corners, and he gets rerouted by defensive backs who come with physicality at the stem. The 7.7 percent drop rate on 48 career catches is a concentration problem that becomes more costly at the next level when window timing tightens.

His blocking against power rushers is a real NFL concern. He gets too high in his stance, shorter defenders get underneath his pads, and he gets knocked backward by anyone who can generate upward push into his chest plate. He lacks the lower-body mass and leg drive to hold up against defensive ends who attack his lack of anchor. The perimeter blocking is functional and the second-level work is credible, but in-line pass protection against NFL power is a gap that requires legitimate weight room investment before it closes.

His change of direction after the catch is below average and the tape is honest about it. He is a straight-line athlete. Once defenders get angles on him in the open field he gets tracked down. The basketball background gave him body control and spatial awareness but did not give him the lateral agility to make tacklers miss in space. YAC production is not coming from this player as currently constituted.

The Overall

The plan is straightforward. Hunter Henry is 31 years old and in the final year of his contract. New England drafted Raridon to develop behind Henry in 2026, add functional mass to his frame, expand his route tree under NFL coaching, and inherit the starting role when Henry exits. That is the primary plan. The secondary plan, given Julian Hill is already on the roster, is using Raridon in two-tight end sets immediately where his vertical threat creates spacing without requiring him to be the complete product yet. Neither scenario demands he be ready day one. Both scenarios give him the developmental runway his game requires.

What the skeptical read on Raridon misses is how rare his athletic profile actually is at this position. A 9.6 RAS tight end with 10.75-inch hands and genuine seam-stretching ability does not appear in every draft class. The blocking foundation is further along than critics acknowledge, and the zone awareness is a trait that either exists or it does not. His does. What is absent is the route tree depth, the man-coverage separation, and the lower-body mass to anchor against power. All three are coachable problems inside a one-year developmental runway behind a veteran starter.

The injury history is the variable no scouting report resolves. Two reconstructions on the same knee is a real medical flag and team doctors either clear it or they do not. Assuming they did, New England paid third-round capital for a player whose floor is a functional TE2 in a pass-heavy system and whose ceiling is a starting Y tight end who redefines the middle of Drake Maye's field for the next several years. The Zierlein Kyle Rudolph comp is honest about the floor. The Lazar Luke Musgrave comp is honest about the projection. The Patriots drafted the projection. At pick 95 on a roster building toward a two-to-three year window, that is the correct decision.

One developmental season behind Henry. Add mass. Expand the route tree. Learn NFL-level man coverage concepts before the job is his. Third round is not a permanent backup. At 22 years old with a 9.6 RAS, genuine downfield production, and a blocking foundation that is already functional, Raridon is not a project being stashed. He is a starter being developed.

Player Comps: Kyle Rudolph ceiling. Hunter Long floor.

Patriots Take At 55: Gabe Jacas, A Tale of Two Tapes

At pick 55, the Patriots selected GABE JACAS, EDGE from ILLINOIS. SENIOR Height: 6-3 Weigjt: 260 LBS

THE GOOD

Jacas is a wrestling-trained power rusher whose hand violence is the first thing that jumps off tape. The chop-rip combination is already a developed weapon, not a projection. He times his hands to the tackle's punch, gets inside chest-plate position, and the rep is functionally over before it starts. That is a learned skill. Most edge prospects at this age are still throwing their hands at contact rather than to it. Jacas is already past that.

The speed-to-power conversion is legitimate and it is rare for his size. He does not need to choose between threatening the corner and converting to power. He can threaten the arc and then redirect the force straight through the tackle's sternum, which creates a decision problem offensive linemen genuinely struggle to solve. When his momentum is moving forward and the blocker cannot stop it, he is going to be in the backfield. That is not a scheme outcome. That is a physics outcome.

His motor is a genuine character trait, not a measurable being inflated by analysts. He ran down coverage sacks as a senior because he refused to accept the rep as lost. He splatters pullers instead of giving ground. He stayed on the field as a near-every-down player in a Big Ten program and produced 27 career sacks across four seasons. The effort never died on tape.

The bull rush has authentic power. The bench press of 30 reps at the Combine is the physical confirmation of what tape already showed. Against weaker tackles he will simply drive the pocket backward into the quarterback. Against stronger competition the conversion to a chop or rip off the bull rush setup creates the same access point. The setup is already there in college. The refinement is a coaching problem, not a talent problem.

THE BAD

Jacas is a low-IQ run defender and the film is consistent about it. He gets confused by pullers. He loses gap integrity against zone reads. He buries his head into blocks and loses the ball carrier entirely. Against misdirection he is completely fooled. These are not isolated lapses. They are patterns that showed up across every game tape the scouts watched, and that is a more serious problem than the report language gives it credit for.

The multitasking failure is the root. Jacas commits 100 percent of his processing to beating the blocker, which means zero processing is left for locating the ball carrier. Elite run defenders fight blocks and track the ball simultaneously. Jacas cannot do that yet. When he wins his rep quickly, the ball carrier is already past him. When the block engages him longer, he is engulfed. Either way the run defense breaks down at the same point in the sequence.

His tackling in open space is out of control. The out-of-control feet problem documented by Steelers Depot is not a conditioning issue. It is a body awareness problem that directly limits his effectiveness even when he wins his rush. He beat the tight end cleanly on tape and let the running back walk into the end zone because he could not redirect his body to make the tackle. That happened on a rep he won. That is a significant developmental problem.

The pass rush plan is monotonous. One good move and if it gets stopped the rep is essentially surrendered. NFL offensive tackles are going to take that away game-planned and leave him with nothing behind it. The inside counter needs to be developed before he faces a veteran left tackle with a week of preparation against him.

OVERALL

Jacas is a two-tape prospect in the most literal sense. The pass rush tape is a mid-Day 2 player. The run defense tape is an undrafted free agent. What determines his career is which tape shows up as the base and which shows up as the exception.

The physical foundation is legitimate. The wrestling background created real hand technique and real leverage instincts that translate directly to the trenches. The speed-to-power conversion is not coachable from scratch. He already has it. The power is already there. The motor is already there. What is absent is the football intelligence to play with body control and run-fit discipline simultaneously, and that is a coachable problem if the coaching staff catches it early and commits to fixing it structurally rather than schematically masking it.

The Patriots landing spot is relevant here. New England is not going to hide him on run downs the way Illinois occasionally did. They are going to develop him toward an every-down role, and that means the run defense problems go directly into the fire rather than being rotated around. That is either the environment that fixes him or the environment that exposes the ceiling as a one-dimensional pass rusher on a defense that needs more than that from the position.

The floor is a rotational pass rush specialist who wins on obvious passing downs and gets removed on run-heavy situations. The ceiling is a starting edge defender who plays with enough run-fit discipline to stay on the field in all three downs. Getting to the ceiling requires adding an inside counter, cleaning up the tackle technique in space, and developing the football IQ to multitask block engagement with ball carrier tracking. None of that is impossible. None of it is guaranteed.

The Steelers Depot grade of 7.9 as a spot starter is honest about the current product. The Zierlein Matthew Judon comp is honest about the projection. Judon was not a finished product early either. He won with power and motor and then added layers. Jacas can follow that same curve if the coaching infrastructure supports it.

Player Comps: Matthew Judon ceiling. Carl Lawson floor.

Patriots Take At 28: Caleb Lomu, A Tale of Two Tapes

The plan is straightforward. Morgan Moses is not a long-term answer at right tackle. New England drafted Lomu to sit behind Moses for a year, develop functional strength, learn the right side at the NFL level, and take over the starting job when Moses leaves. That is the primary plan. The secondary plan, if Lomu develops faster or the roster demands it, is kicking Campbell inside and letting Lomu hold down the left side. Neither scenario is automatically bad. Here is why the pick holds up.

Background

Caleb Lomu is a 21-year-old, 6'6", 313-pound Polynesian tackle out of Highland High School in Gilbert, Arizona, where he anchored a state championship offensive line and earned every major in-state honor available to a high school lineman. He came to Utah as a consensus four-star recruit in the 2023 class, choosing the Utes over Michigan, USC, Florida, and Tennessee.

At Utah

He redshirted in 2023, took over the starting left tackle job as a redshirt freshman in 2024, and never gave it back. Over two seasons as a starter he logged 25 games, allowed three total sacks across 800-plus pass blocking snaps, earned First Team All-Big 12 honors in 2025, and did it all while maintaining Academic All-Big 12 status and a business degree. He declared after his redshirt sophomore season with 27 career starts, no documented injuries, and four career penalties. The profile coming out of college is a high-character, high-motor, low-maintenance prospect who got better every single season he played.

The Good Tape

Lomu's calling card is pass protection, and it is legitimate. Zero sacks on 383 snaps in 2025 is not a fluke. It is the product of genuine technical sophistication for a 21-year-old. His hand timing is among the best in this class. He does not just punch; he times the punch to the rusher's weight transfer, which is a learned skill that most tackles spend years developing. The snatch-trap technique specifically is elite level. When he gets his hands inside on a rusher's chest plate, the rep is effectively over.

His mirror athleticism is real. The RAS of 9.77 confirms what the tape shows: elite explosion profile for his size. The 4.99 forty and 9'5" broad at 313 pounds are genuinely rare. That athleticism translates directly to his ability to expand his set point laterally, widen the corner against speed, and recover when he loses a half-step. Most tackles his size who get beat outside are done. Lomu redirects. Against twists and stunts his mental processing is ahead of his experience level. He passed off games cleanly and showed awareness that you cannot fully coach.

His pull blocking is a legitimate weapon. He locates second-level targets with spatial intelligence that fits zone and gap-pin-and-pull concepts naturally. For any offense running wide zone or pin-and-pull as a core identity, that is immediately deployable value.

What gets underweighted in the skeptical reads on Lomu is how rare the combination of processing and athleticism actually is. Most tackles at this age have one or the other. Lomu has both, and that is the foundation every quality NFL tackle is built on. The strength will come. The football intelligence either exists or it does not, and his does.

The Bad Tape

The run game is a full tier below the pass protection and it is not a small gap. His core strength deficiency is the root cause of most of his technical breakdowns. He gets deep with his kick slide too frequently, opening the inside gap. Against defenders who cross his face with jab steps and direction changes, his mirroring is adequate but not reliable. On combo blocks he turns too far off the first level, killing his timing to the second level. Reach block hip discipline is inconsistent. His angles on outside runs to the second level are too deep. Against power rushers he can be grabbed and pulled forward out of his stance, which is a core strength problem that scheme can mask but cannot fix.

The arm length at 33 3/8 inches is below the preferred threshold and it showed against Romello Height at Texas Tech. Height got the jump on him with inside counters twice, which exposed the tendency to overset for outside protection. Short arms combined with that overset habit is a combination NFL speed-to-power rushers will attack until it is coached out of him.

The Overall

Here is what the skeptical read misses. The Patriots are not drafting a finished product. They are drafting a 21-year-old redshirt sophomore with 27 career games, a 9.77 RAS, elite hand technique, and a frame that scouts universally project can carry another 15 to 20 functional pounds. The Moses situation gives New England exactly the development runway Lomu needs. One year behind a veteran starter to learn NFL-level power concepts on the right side, add mass, and clean up the run game technique before the job is his. That is an ideal landing spot for this prospect.

The right tackle transition is not a significant concern. Lomu's athleticism and processing skills are the traits that travel across both tackle positions. The hand technique, the mirror ability, the stunt recognition, all of it works on the right side. What he needs to add is power, and right tackle in a year-one developmental role is precisely the environment where that addition happens without the pressure of protecting the blind side from day one.

The Campbell interior move remains the alternative path. If Lomu develops ahead of schedule or the roster demands flexibility, New England can kick Campbell inside and hand Lomu the left tackle job. That outcome solves two line positions with one draft pick and one positional adjustment, which is efficient roster construction on a rebuilding team.

The swing tackle framing coming from ESPN and NFL media is accurate for year one and stops being relevant after it. First-round capital at pick 28, plus the cost of trading up, does not get spent on a permanent backup. New England paid that price because they identified Lomu as a future starter, and the Moses situation provides the exact developmental shelf he needs.

One year, protected from blind side pressure, adding mass and cleaning up run game technique before the job is his. Swing tackle is a role, not a destination. At 21 years old with 27 career starts, a 9.77 RAS, and zero sacks in 2025, Lomu is not a project being stashed. He is a starter being developed. Swing tackle is a cope label for media that did not see the pick coming and needed a way to frame it down.

The Brandon Thorn grade of 7.5 reflects the current product honestly. The Steelers Depot grade of 8.6 reflects the reasonable projection. The Patriots drafted the projection. At pick 28 on a roster building toward a window two or three years out, that is the correct decision. The floor is a quality starting right tackle. The ceiling is a ten-year starter who can hold down either bookend.

The comp: Alaric Jackson ceiling, Dan Moore Jr. floor.

Media And I Agree On 33 Prospects For The Patriots

I went through and looked at four Patriots Big Boards from Mike Dussault (Patriots.com), Evan Lazar (Patriots.com), the Pats Pulpit Staff, and  Chad Graff (NYT). What I found was 33 players from my Patriots Big Board had made the professional circuit. That is about one sixth of my board. Now they did have a few names, like maybe five to 10 that I could've added to my board but I didn't. So here are the prospects I agree with the media on, even if they have different positions listed.

Wide Receivers

- Denzel Boston (Washington)

- Chris Bell (Louisville)

- De'Zhaun Stribling (Ole Miss)

- Bryce Lance (NDSU)

- Josh Cameron (Baylor)

Edge Rushers

- Cashius Howell (Washington)

- Jaishawn Barham (Michigan)

Offensive Tackles / OL

- Blake Miller (Clemson)

- Max Iheanachor (Arizona State)

- Gennings Dunker (Iowa)

- Isaiah World (Oregon)

- Dametrious Crownover (Texas A&M)

- Micah Morris (Georgia)

Linebackers

- Anthony Hill Jr. (Texas)

- Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech)

- Jake Golday (Cincinnati)

- Red Murdock (Buffalo)

Safeties

- Treydan Stukes (Arizona)

- Zakee Wheatley (Penn State)

- Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (Toledo)

- Bud Clark (TCU)

- VJ Payne (Kansas State)

Defensive Tackles / DL

- Domonique Orange (Iowa State)

- Kayden McDonald (Ohio State)

Tight Ends/FullBacks

- Joe Royer (Cincinnati)

- Sam Roush (Stanford)

- Justin Joly (NC State)

Running Backs

- Adam Randall (Clemson)

- Eli Heidenreich (Navy)

Cornerbacks

- Tacario Davis (Washington)

If the media is right this year, that my board doesn't have the proper prospects, it's gonna be difficult to continue my streak of landing a player. However, this list here still covers almost all of their needs. From out boards, I would say that these are the realistic prospects. The draft starts Thursday night and the Patriots are expected to draft around 10:20 PM.

If you're curious who I have by round out of 175 prospects, click here.