Patriots Have Too Many Picks In 2026 NFL Draft
· Yahoo Sports
Patriots Have Too Many Picks In 2026 NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The 2026 NFL Draft has taken a lot of criticism leading up to the NFL combine about a perceived “weak class.”
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The prospects took it upon themselves to silence the doubters by breaking countless records during the workouts in Indianapolis.
While there are many players worth getting excited over, one fact remains: this is not the deepest class of all-time.
The first two days will be riddled with starters at every position. But when you get in the later rounds, the caliber of prospect falls off a pretty steep cliff.
The New England Patriots have 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Of those 11, only three come inside the top-100. Any other year, I would be elated with New England’s four sixth-round picks. But it is just not realistic to expect to find contributors in the bottom half of this draft class.
The Patriots would benefit from leveraging multiple late-round selections to double up in the second and third rounds.
Specifically, if the Patriots can find a way to get back into the second round, they have a real opportunity to find two starters at the team’s two biggest needs: offensive line and edge rusher.
The record for edge rushers selected in the first round could be broken this April, with New England’s 31st overall selection likely adding to the total. Trading for a mid-40s pick could land a day one starter like Iowa offensive lineman Gennings Dunker or Texas A&M’s Chase Bisontis.