My Ridiculously Early Start on a 2026 Pats Big Board

[manxman2601]

My replacements:

Thinking about who are my favourite prospects to replace those out of contract or likely to leave (or are replaceable).

Chaisson - David Bailey, Akheem Mesidor. Zion Young, Boubacar Traore or Derrick Moore if you want to go day 2. R Mason Thomas?

Gibbins - Jacob Rodriguez. I think he can start in the NFL but his athleticism might mean he's better as a backup.

Jaylinn Hawkins - Jelani Mcdonald, Dillon Thieneman or Zakee Wheatley

Austin Hooper - Marlin Klein, Eli Raridon.

Hunter Henry - ???. Michael Trigg, Eli Stowers, Oscar Delp, Terrance Carter Jr

Jack Westover - Cody Hardy.

LG/RG - Vega Ioane, Carter Smith, Austin Siereveld, Cayden Green, Jaeden Roberts, Chase Bisontis, Emmanuel Pregnon. Keylan Rutledge as a day 3 guy.

C - Logan Jones

RT - Trevor Goosby, Monroe Freeling, PJ Williams.

LB2 - Sonny Styles, Jake Golday, Anthony Hill

CB3/4 - Keionte Scott, Jyaire Hill, Julian Neal, Tacario Davis, Treydan Stukes, Antonio Kite, Ceyair Wright.

WR is not really needed but if they were to in that direction, either as a Mack Hollins replacement or long-term Boutte replacement, I'd go Denzel Boston or Chris Bell.

Michael Taaffe is such a great Vrabel fit but his size/athleticism and his similarity to Woodson limits him for me. Binky for sure but not the ideal Woodson compliment. If we were to draft 2 safeties, which as things stand, we need, Taaffe would definitely be that second safety.

I don't think we need a RB. Henderson, Stevenson, Gibson and Larison would be good enough for another year.

I'm sure I've missed people but for now, and there's a long way to go, I would build my draft around those names.

 

[stelfans]

You're counting out Lampe? I would love to see him and Larison be on the 53 next year.

 

[manxman2601]

You're counting out Lampe? I would love to see him and Larison be on the 53 next year.

No but I just don't think he factors into my thinking. Nice to have but he doesn't change how I approach the draft.

 

[Clonamery]

My replacements:

Thinking about who are my favourite prospects to replace those out of contract or likely to leave (or are replaceable).

Chaisson - David Bailey, Akheem Mesidor. Zion Young, Boubacar Traore or Derrick Moore if you want to go day 2. R Mason Thomas?

Gibbins - Jacob Rodriguez. I think he can start in the NFL but his athleticism might mean he's better as a backup.

Jaylinn Hawkins - Jelani Mcdonald, Dillon Thieneman or Zakee Wheatley

Austin Hooper - Marlin Klein, Eli Raridon.

Hunter Henry - ???. Michael Trigg, Eli Stowers, Oscar Delp, Terrance Carter Jr

Jack Westover - Cody Hardy.

LG/RG - Vega Ioane, Carter Smith, Austin Siereveld, Cayden Green, Jaeden Roberts, Chase Bisontis, Emmanuel Pregnon. Keylan Rutledge as a day 3 guy.

C - Logan Jones

RT - Trevor Goosby, Monroe Freeling, PJ Williams.

LB2 - Sonny Styles, Jake Golday, Anthony Hill

CB3/4 - Keionte Scott, Jyaire Hill, Julian Neal, Tacario Davis, Treydan Stukes, Antonio Kite, Ceyair Wright.

WR is not really needed but if they were to in that direction, either as a Mack Hollins replacement or long-term Boutte replacement, I'd go Denzel Boston or Chris Bell.

Michael Taaffe is such a great Vrabel fit but his size/athleticism and his similarity to Woodson limits him for me. Binky for sure but not the ideal Woodson compliment. If we were to draft 2 safeties, which as things stand, we need, Taaffe would definitely be that second safety.

I don't think we need a RB. Henderson, Stevenson, Gibson and Larison would be good enough for another year.

I'm sure I've missed people but for now, and there's a long way to go, I would build my draft around those names.

We just need our picks to be in the top 150.

 

[manxman2601]

We just need our picks to be in the top 150.

Yup. I need to dig more into day three. That's usually my favourite anyway.

 

[mayoclinic]

Only 100 players will go Days 1 and 2.

This draft is at least 150 players deep, maybe more. Some really good players - starting or multiple contract potential - will slide.

The Pats have 7 (maybe 8) Day 3 picks.

I'm excited.

 

[manxman2601]

Only 100 players will go Days 1 and 2.

This draft is at least 150 players deep, maybe more. Some really good players - starting or multiple contract potential - will slide.

The Pats have 7 (maybe 8) Day 3 picks.

I'm excited.

I suspect there'll be a couple of off-season trades that will reduce that number.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

I suspect there'll be a couple of off-season trades that will reduce that number.

Let’s hope it’s not too early in the offseason and for high picks. While I liked getting Brandin Cooks in 2017 and with the Edelman injury we likely don’t reach the Super Bowl without him, that trade was made in March for a first rounder. It made the rest of March and April a huge let down of knowing we weren’t going to have the opportunity to get any of the top 50 players in the draft. If they’re going to make a trade like that this year, I hope they at least wait until draft day.

 

[manxman2601]

Let’s hope it’s not too early in the offseason and for high picks. While I liked getting Brandin Cooks in 2017 and with the Edelman injury we likely don’t reach the Super Bowl without him, that trade was made in March for a first rounder. It made the rest of March and April a huge let down of knowing we weren’t going to have the opportunity to get any of the top 50 players in the draft. If they’re going to make a trade like that this year, I hope they at least wait until draft day.

I was thinking at most one of the 4ths but more likely a couple of the 6s. It's hard to fit 10 rookies on a roster.

 

[mayoclinic]

I doubt they'll Pats will fit 10 rookies in, but I expect them to move up and down the draft board. I'd ideally like to see about 7 potential quality prospects:

- EDGE
- LB
- 2 DBs
- 2 OLs
- 1 WR or TE

By "quality" I mean players who develop within a year into starters or significant contributors, not bottom of the roster guys.

If 4 out of those 7 pan out, it will be a good draft.

 

[patsfaninpa]

You can probably trade a 7 for a 2027 6th and a 6th for a 2027 5th. Kick the can down the road.

 

[mayoclinic]

This is just to kick ideas around, and as a tool. I've left out a ton of prospects that I'm not yet sure about. There are a lot of guys who could get added.

Assumptions:

- QB, LT, LG or C, RB1, DT, DT, CB1 and slot CB are set for the long term, assuming extensions.
- Hunter Henry, Stephon Diggs, Morgan Moses, Harold Landry, Robert Spillane and Carlton Davis will provide solid veteran presence at least through 2026 (longer for Spillane).

I've tried to limit to 60-75 players across all 3 days of the draft. Everyone listed is someone I find interesting/exciting at some level. Leaving someone out does not necessarily mean I'm negative about them. I will probably add 10+ players in.

Players are grouped roughly by Tier, order within a Tier is very crude.

* Indicates currently injured.
Additions to original list in red.

Tier 1:

1. Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio St.
2. Caleb Downs, S, Ohio St.
3. Rueben Bain, EDGE, Miami
4. Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn
5. Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
6. Spencer Fano, OT, Utah

Tier 2:

7. Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona St.
8. Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami
9. Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
10. Jermod McCoy, CB*, Tennessee
11. Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
12.TJ Parker, EDGE, Clemson
13. David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
14. Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio St.
15. Jelani McDonald, S, Texas
16. Chris Bell, WR, Louisville
17. Makai Lemon, WR, USC
18. Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio St.


Tier 3:


19. Chris Brazzell, WR, Tennessee
20. Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati
21. Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon
22. Quincy Rhodes, EDGE, Arkansas
23. Anthony Hill, LB, Texas
24. Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
25. Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
26. Isaiah World, OT, Oregon
27. CJ Allen, LB, Georgia
28. Conner Lew*, C, Auburn
29. Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson

Tier 4:

Fa'alili Fa'amoe, OT, Wake Forest
Austin Siereveld, OL, Ohio St.
Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
Mateen Ibirogba, DT, Wake Forest
Zakee Wheatley, S, Penn St.
Julian Neal, CB, Arkansas
Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego St.
Matayo Uiagalelei, EDGE, Oregon
Ja'Kobi Lane, WR, USC
Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
CJ Daniels, WR, Miami
KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
Jaishawn Barham, EDGE/LB, Michigan
Romello Height, EDGE/LB, Texas Tech
Joshua Joseph, EDGE, Tennessee
Keith Abney, CB, Arizona St.
Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
Vincent Anthony, EDGE, Duke
Cayden Green, OL, Missouri
Whit Weeks, LB, LSU
Michael Trigg, TE, Baylor
Jonah Coleman, RB, Washington
Justice Haynes, RB, Michigan
Jardanian Price, RB, Notre Dame

Tier 5:

Amare Ferrell, S, Indiana
Rod Moore, S, Michigan
Michael Taaffe, S, Texas
Chase Bisontis, IOL, Missouri
Tacario Davis, CB, Washington
Kade Pieper, IOL, Iowa
Brian Parker, OL, Duke
Ian Strong, WR, Rutgers
Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama
Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana
Hezekiah Masses, CB, Cal
Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Miami
Max Lewellyn, EDGE, Iowa
Gennings Dunker, IOL, Iowa
Kage Casey, OT, Boise St.
PJ Williams, OT, SMU
Dametrious Crownover, OT, Texas A&M
Carter Smith, OT, Indiana
Aaron Graves, DL, Iowa
Taurean York, LB, Texas A&M
Oscar Delp, TE, Georgia
Eli Raridon, TE, Notre Dame
Anto Saka, EDGE, Northwestern
Harold Perkins, LB, LSU
Xavier Scott, CB, Illinois

Tier 6:

Logan Jones, IOL, Iowa
D'Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana
Jontez Williams, CB, Iowa St.
Mikhail Kamara, EDGE, Indiana
Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
Nyck Harbor, WR, S. Carolina
Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame
Febechi Nwaiwu, IOL, Oklahoma

I'm not going to do a major revision to this board until early 2026, but it's already out of date.

- Arvell Reese and Caleb Downs are still 1-2, but the rest of Tier 1 is in flux. Peter Woods will probably go far higher than I would take a DT, Keldric Faulk is good but far too much like Keion White for comfort, Spencer Fano may project better to guard, lacks his 2024 dominance, and struggled again Texas Tech. Francis Mauigoa may also project to IOL.
- Kadyn Procter and Kenyon Sadiq are too inconsistent for my comfort.
- The top WRs - Jordyn Tyson, Carnell Tate, Malachi Lemon, Chris Bell, KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston and Chris Brazzell are my top 7 - are very good, but will go higher than I would prefer to take a WR unless they are clearly BPA.
- The EDGE rusher group stinks. David Bailey will probably go top 15. TJ Parker is stiff (7.34 3-cone).

So many guys are riding on hype, 2024 tape, and pre-season projections.

There will be a lot of risers. There are a ton of still mostly unheralded guys I could see being late 1st/early 2nd (with a trade back) options:

- LBs Sonny Styles, Jake Golday, and Anthony Hill.
- CB Jermod McCoy could slip due to injury.
- DBs Jelani McDonald, Zakee Wheatley and Keionte Scott.
- OLs Austin Siereveld, Olaivavega Ioane, Niki Prongo. None of Emmanuel Pregnon, Chase Bisontis, Kade Pieper, Cayden Green, Monroe Freeling, Blake Miller or Trevor Goosby would shock me.

There will be some major re-working, and I expect the back half of the 1st round to be in flux over the next 5 months.

 

[mayoclinic]

Not going to do a full revision for a while. But as of right now, the guys who I think could have the most impact on defense, and possibly overall:

1. Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio St.
2. Caleb Downs, S, Ohio St.
3. David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
4. Rueben Bain, EDGE, Miami
5. Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio St.
6. Jelani McDonald, S, Texas
7. Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
8. Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati
9. Keionte Scott, CB/S, Miami
10. Anthony Hill, LB, Texas
11. Zakee Wheatley, S, Penn. St.
12. Mansoor Delane, CB LSU

3 Ohio St. guys, 2 Miami, 2 Texas.

DT too good to target anyone. Keldric Faulk tempting, but his 3-cone scares me, and Vrabel's experience with Keion White scares me more.

Offense harder, because my highest graded players are all WRs, and I'd prefer that not to be the focus.

 

[manxman2601]

Not going to do a full revision for a while. But as of right now, the guys who I think could have the most impact on defense, and possibly overall:

1. Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio St.
2. Caleb Downs, S, Ohio St.
3. David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
4. Rueben Bain, EDGE, Miami
5. Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio St.
6. Jelani McDonald, S, Texas
7. Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
8. Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati
9. Keionte Scott, CB/S, Miami
10. Anthony Hill, LB, Texas
11. Zakee Wheatley, S, Penn. St.
12. Mansoor Delane, CB LSU

3 Ohio St. guys, 2 Miami, 2 Texas.

DT too good to target anyone. Keldric Faulk tempting, but his 3-cone scares me, and Vrabel's experience with Jeion White scares me more.

Offense harder, because my highest graded players are all WRs, and I'd prefer that not to be the focus.

I think a new look at safeties is warranted. I agree on Mcdonald but I do think McNeil-Warren, Genesis Smith (bad tackling though), Keon Sabb, AJ Haulcy and Kamari Ramsey need another, or initial, look. We haven't spent a lot of time on them.

 

[manxman2601]

Dane Brugler just said that there are only 3 seniors in his top 30 (Bailey, Delane, Styles). That can go two ways. If some of the juniors don't declare, this draft will get much worse but on the other hand that could be an enticement for even more juniors to declare <cough> Jelani McDonald <cough>.

 

[mayoclinic]

I haven't started re-working my Pats' big board, but factoring in need, talent and value, there are roughly 17 players who I would take without hesitation at 31-32.

In very rough order:

1. Arvell Reese, LB/EDGE
2. David Bailey, EDGE
3. Caleb Downs, S
4. Rueben Bain, EDGE
5. Monroe Freeling, OT
6. Francis Mauigoa, OL
7. Sonny Styles, LB
8. Spencer Fano, OL
9. Jermod McCoy, CB
10a. Akheem Mesidor, EDGE
10b. Keldric Faulk, EDGE
12. Kenyon Sadiq, TE
13. Caleb Lomu, OT
14. TJ Parker, EDGE
15. Emmanuel Pregnon, IOL
16. Olaivavega Ioane, IOL
17. Dillon Thieneman, S

The order is very crude, highly subjective, and not important. It won't stay fixed. I would personally be very satisfied that any of those 17 players would be a significant addition.

There are another 4 IDL who I consider clear 1st round talents/values, though it is not a position of need: Peter Wood, Caleb Banks, Kayden McDonald and Lee Hunter.

Fernando Mendoza will go #1, Jeremiyah Love top 15 or earlier. There are at least 5 highly likely 1st round WRs (Tyson, Tate, Lemon, Concepcion and Boston), and another 5 likely 1st round DBs in addition to Downs and McCoy (Delane, Terrell, Hood, Cisse and McNeil-Warren).

That's 34 players. I think there is a high probability one of those 34 - hopefully one of those 17 - will be the pick if the Pats stay at 31-32.

 

[mayoclinic]

The main guys I could see right now making a push to get onto the 1st round list for the Patriots are OTs Max Iheanachor and Blake Miller and LBs CJ Allen and Jake Golday.

 

[manxman2601]

The main guys I could see right now making a push to get onto the 1st round list for the Patriots are OTs Max Iheanachor and Blake Miller and LBs CJ Allen and Jake Golday.

Are you already including TJ Parker?

I wouldn't discount Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.

 

[mayoclinic]

List was in the post above.

Parker was #14 on my list of 17 guys I would consider without hesitation at 31-32.

McNeil-Warren was in the remaining group of likely 1st round picks.

 

[Clonamery]

Senior Bowl 2026 National Team Day 1 Scouting: Notes and NFL Draft Risers

It's finally here, and it's freezing cold outside!

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