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NFL 2026 NFL Draft The Patriots are likely to pursue a wide receiver early in the draft, and Tennessee's Chris Brazzell II may have pushed himself into the first round. Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images The New England Patriots are back from a week in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine, where the team’s decision-makers had a chance to chat with prospects and watch them go through athletic testing. Up next on the NFL calendar is free agency, which opens with the legal tampering period Monday. After that, we’ll have a better idea of what the Patriots need in the draft. Advertisement Today, let’s look at where things stand after the combine with a mock draft, which is more an avenue to learn about prospects and game out scenarios than a true seven-round projection. Let’s dive in. A week ago, this would’ve seemed like a reach. But few players upped their stock at the combine as much as Brazzell, who ran a blazing 4. 37-second 40-yard dash. He’s an outside receiver who is 6-feet-4 and can win downfield. That could be a big boost for the Patriots, considering Drake Maye’s deep ball is arguably the best part of his impressive passing game. The dream scenario for the Pats if they go wide receiver in the first round is probably Denzel Boston of Washington falling to the 31st pick. His straight-line speed is a legit question (and likely why he skipped the 40-yard dash at the combine), so perhaps that’s enough for teams to give pause and let Boston slide to the Patriots. If not, Brazzell would be an intriguing backup plan, though it’ll likely now take a first-round pick to get him. The expectation is that the Patriots are aiming to land a new starting edge rusher in free agency next week, perhaps Boye Mafe or Odafe Oweh. But even if they do, it would be wise to add depth to the position (we saw how important that was for the Seahawks) and find someone they can develop behind Harold Landry III. Height is a bit undersized at 240 pounds, but if the Pats land a player like Mafe or Oweh, they can offer Height time to bulk up and develop as a rookie. World might not be able to play much (if at all) in 2026 after suffering an ACL tear in the College Football Playoff, but hear me out. The Patriots don’t need a tackle for this season with Morgan Moses and Will Campbell back. They need someone they can develop behind Moses and ideally play right tackle in 2027. Advertisement That could be World, who was a four-year starter in college. This is a risky move, but a similar one worked out well for the Philadelphia Eagles when they drafted Landon Dickerson in 2021, when he was coming off an ACL tear. It’s a buy-low opportunity, but it doesn’t help much in the short term. The Patriots are likely to sign a tight end in free agency, and there are more receiving tight ends available on the open market than tight ends who focus on blocking. So perhaps the Patriots consider drafting a player like Cuevas, who is a better blocker than pass catcher. He’s the kind of player they could even use as a fullback, similar to what they did last season with Jack Westover. Off-ball linebacker is not a premium position in the NFL, but the Patriots need depth and a player who can contribute on special teams. Elliott showed explosiveness at the combine (he posted a vertical leap of 38 inches) and is a good downhill linebacker. As with linebackers, you can find guards on Day 3 of the draft who end up becoming starters (such as Mike Onwenu). Baynes was a two-year starter at Kansas, and the Pats could use depth on the interior of the offensive line, even if the expectation is that they’ll sign a guard in free agency next week. The Patriots are very happy with the two running backs they have: Rhamondre Stevenson and Tre Veyon Henderson. But they need at least one more behind them. The question is whether they want a bulkier back like Stevenson or another speedster who can catch the ball like Henderson. Taylor, at 5-feet-10 and 199 pounds, is closer to the Henderson model. For some reason, Toledo seems to produce really good cornerbacks, and Fuller is an intriguing prospect after he showed explosiveness with a 10-foot, 9-inch broad jump. Advertisement Outside corner isn’t a huge need for the Patriots, but they could use a late-round pick on a player to see if they can develop someone to take Carlton Davis III’s place a year from now. The kind of defensive tackle the Pats might look for in the draft will depend on whom they sign in free agency. But if they go get a big run stuffer to play in the middle, a smaller tackle like Durant (6-feet-1, 290 pounds) would be an interesting late-round flier to see if he can develop into an above-average pass rusher. Patriots special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer recruited Stonehouse out of high school, the punter said at the combine, showing that a connection already exists. Punter isn’t the biggest need for the Patriots, but Bryce Baringer capped a mediocre season with a bad performance in the Super Bowl, opening the door for the Patriots to pick a punter with one of their four sixth-round selections to compete with him. Payton is a bit undersized (6-feet-5, 260 pounds), but he’s quick and has good length. It wouldn’t be a shock if the Patriots doubled up on edge rushers in the draft this year. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Chad Graff is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the New England Patriots since 2022 after five years on the Minnesota Vikings beat. Graff joined The Athletic in January 2018 after covering a bit of everything for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He won the Pro Football Writers of America’s 2022 Bob Oates Award for beat writing. He's a New Hampshire native and an adjunct professor of journalism at Northeastern University. Follow Chad on Twitter @Chad Graff