Patriots pick Notre Dame TE Eli Raridon in third round of NFL Draft

The Patriots chosen Notre Dame tight finish Eli Raridon with the No. 95 pick within the 2026 NFL Draft on Friday night time.

It was the primary decide the Patriots made on this draft with out buying and selling up. New England swung trades with Buffalo and Los Angeles to take offensive deal with Caleb Lomu and edge rusher Gabe Jacas within the first and second rounds, respectively.

Raridon is a 6-foot-7-inch, 251-pound tight finish. He has a 36-inch vertical leap and ran a 4.62 within the 40-yard sprint on the NFL Scouting Combine. He’ll current a rangy, athletic goal for Drake Maye.

The Patriots wanted to bolster their tight finish depth after shedding Austin Hooper in free-agency. Hunter Henry will flip 32 in December. Julian Hill has 33 profession catches and 288 receiving yards.

Henry has been a go-to possibility for Maye, ending first on the staff in targets in 2024 and second in 2025. Now with Raridon, they’ll have a speedy Y-type tight finish to pair with Henry.

That is an upside decide. Raridon had three profession touchdowns at Notre Dame. He had 623 yards over three seasons. He began 18 out of 40 video games with the Preventing Irish. Twelve of these begins got here final season.

His blocking means will assist decide whether or not he develops right into a three-down participant. Some draft analysts said he’ll have to get stronger to succeed in his full potential on the NFL stage.

Together with his measurement and skill-set, he has proven means to make contested catches. With the ability to assist in all phases of the sport may go a great distance for Raridon in New England.

His dad performed offensive line at Notre Dame, and grandfather was a strength coach on the 1988 national title team on Lou Holtz’s staff.

And now, he’s a Patriot. New England closed out the staff’s Day 2 by taking him.

Khari A. Thompson

Sports activities Reporter

Khari Thompson covers skilled sports activities for Boston.com. Earlier than becoming a member of the staff in 2022, Khari lined school soccer for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.