WWYHD 2026 Draft Edition

[bakes781]

Hindsight is always 20/20 so what would you have done different?

Heck we can start with the very 1st pick. Turns out Keldric Faulk did slip to 31. We could have our EDGE rusher without trading away our 4th.

At 63 this might have been considered a reach a few weeks ago but Oscar Delp would have been my choice.

At 95 is where we ended up getting our TE but we could have had RTs Tiernan or Burke. Had we known LT was in their sights Drew Shelton was also available there.

125 & 131 is where we could have had Elam-Orr and Kyle Louis.

171 Prunty is probably the one pick I could say was as close to perfect as could possibly be. That said there was a couple skill position Binkies that went right after him.

191 Obviously when you get this deep it's all a crapshoot, but my very 1st Binky got selected at this spot. Josh Cameron just looks like a guy who will make his way on Sundays. Just remember I said it first lol

Again lots of garbage to sift through on the rest of these but some possible gems that we missed out on.

198 VJ Payne

202 LBs Aiden Fisher/Lander Barton(udfa)

212 Cole Wisniewski/Miles Scott

247 Dallen Bentley TE

 

[mayoclinic]

I am fine with Caleb Lomu at 28.

I am ok with trading up for Gabe Jacas, but with DDs and Keyron Crawford both still on the board, I probably would not have traded up. Take best pass rusher at 63.

At 95, I would have gone BPA. The idea of pairing Jermod McCoy with Christian Gonzalez too good to pass up.

I take Kyle Louis with 131, VJ Payne with 198. I like the Crownover pick.

Now the back half of my defense has Kyle Louis, VJ Payne and Jermod McCoy in top of Gozalez and Woodson.

I would trade up if Eli Raridon fell, otherwise Joe Royer and Seydou Traore would work.

 

[stelfans]

They clearly wanted one of the top OT’s, whoever that was. I think trading up was smart. Tiernan is awful and Burke is a nice story but the others are in a completely different level.
Jacas was another one of their guys, they weren’t letting him go. Again trading up was the smart move. As nice as DDS and Crawford sound, they are not in the same level.
So in hindsight, I would have done exactly the same.

 

[Water Boy]

I've come around on Lomu. I was hoping for Miller or Iheanchor but it is what it is.

I like DDS and Crawford, but I think Jacas was the best well rounded DE on the board and was the Lynch pin of this entire draft. I whole heartedly supported that trade up.

Raridon was a great pick. I didn't focus on him much due to injury concerns but he could very well be the best all around TE out of he Roush and Delp. I think there was a lot of projection on Roush's upside as a pass catcher with those short arms of his.

I don't know enough about Prunty to question the pick especially if he has CB/FS versatility, but Adam Randall there would look pretty good. CB is a more important position so I guess we'll see.

Crownover in the 6th is a good pick and makes sense.

Obaizidor - this is the pick I question the most. Is he better than, Perkins, Aiden Fisher or Red Murdock or was there more value with DT Van Den Berg?

 

[DaBruinz]

I don't get how people are saying that Raridon is an "all-around TE". The guy doesn't like to block. Watch his blocks. He puts the minimum amount of effort into it. It's why his technique is poor in both run blocking and pass blocking.

As for being a pass catcher, yeah, he's got a good catch radius and he's big. But his routes are mediocre and he lacks the ability to set up the players in coverage.

I can only hope he puts more effort into all the aspects of his game as well as getting stronger.

Obiazor would have been available as a UDFA. I didn't understand this pick. Especially with 3 Vets in front of him. Guy has almost no chance to make the team with Britt, Muma, and Elliss in front of him. Not to mention Otis Reese and Amari Gainer. I know that the Pats have good depth at DT, but van der Berg looks to be a better player and likely will end up being better than Durden, Taylor, or Pharms. He fits the "Tonesetter" and "violent player" mentality.

 

[sg14]

If Makell Bell was a ROT, they could have taken Jacas at 31, then Bell at 63.
Keep their 4th rounders.

Trying to convert Bell to the other side seems like a bigger task than switching Lomu.

That's the benefit of 20-20 hindsight.

I'm good with what they did. Think the first 3 picks were coaches picks.

 

[dliverey44]

I don't get how people are saying that Raridon is an "all-around TE". The guy doesn't like to block. Watch his blocks. He puts the minimum amount of effort into it. It's why his technique is poor in both run blocking and pass blocking.

As for being a pass catcher, yeah, he's got a good catch radius and he's big. But his routes are mediocre and he lacks the ability to set up the players in coverage.

I can only hope he puts more effort into all the aspects of his game as well as getting stronger.

Obiazor would have been available as a UDFA. I didn't understand this pick. Especially with 3 Vets in front of him. Guy has almost no chance to make the team with Britt, Muma, and Elliss in front of him. Not to mention Otis Reese and Amari Gainer. I know that the Pats have good depth at DT, but van der Berg looks to be a better player and likely will end up being better than Durden, Taylor, or Pharms. He fits the "Tonesetter" and "violent player" mentality.

I think you got spoiled by Gronk. Raridon is a decent blocker

 

[mgteich]

Vandenberg instead of Prunty

 

[DaBruinz]

I think you got spoiled by Gronk. Raridon is a decent blocker

No. He isn't a decent blocker. I went and watched some of the plays where he was required to block.. He puts enough effort to keep him on the field, but that's not a lot. His technique is poor. I'm not expecting him to be Gronk or Dwayne Allen coming out of college.

 

[DaBruinz]

Vandenberg instead of Prunty

Prunty will likely become the #2 or #3 Outside Corner behind Gonzalez within 2 years. I love van den Berg, but Prunty had the need factor going for him. van den Berg did not. Not with Barmore, Williams, and Farmer locked in and the Pats having Durden, Taylor and Gregory behind the other 3..

 

[dliverey44]

No. He isn't a decent blocker. I went and watched some of the plays where he was required to block.. He puts enough effort to keep him on the field, but that's not a lot. His technique is poor. I'm not expecting him to be Gronk or Dwayne Allen coming out of college.

thankfully we have coaches that should improve his technique. he has talked about blocking and that makes it sound to me that he realizes how important it is, so that means he is probably a willing blocker. There are numerous "experts" that have commented that he is a decent to good inline blocker. Nate Tice and Brugler seem to think he is decent blocker as an inline TE

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

---

thankfully we have coaches that should improve his technique. he has talked about blocking and that makes it sound to me that he realizes how important it is, so that means he is probably a willing blocker. There are numerous "experts" that have commented that he is a decent to good inline blocker. Nate Tice and Brugler seem to think he is decent blocker as an inline TE

I agree. Note that his favorite player is Kittle who is a tenacious blocker and Raridon is only 21/22. His 1st year in college was washed out due to the ACL. Also tall guys take longer to fill out and improve their skill - look at Queta on the Celtics who keeps getting better. Raridon is TE3 and can learn. I think Henry will be here 2 more years and Raridon will improve as TE3 for 2 years. High ceiling guy so we have to be patient.

 

[bakes781]

Raridon highlights I saw looked more like a poor man's Jimmy Graham.

 

[mgteich]

Raridon highlights I saw looked more like a poor man's Jimmy Graham.

To me, he is a good choice at 95 and could be a starter. Alternatively, he could be #2 in 2027, still a good use of our draft choice.

 

[bakes781]

To me, he is a good choice at 95 and could be a starter. Alternatively, he could be #2 in 2027, still a good use of our draft choice.

Yeah I'm just saying he wasn't my top choice.

 

[Water Boy]

If Makell Bell was a ROT, they could have taken Jacas at 31, then Bell at 63.
Keep their 4th rounders.

Trying to convert Bell to the other side seems like a bigger task than switching Lomu.

That's the benefit of 20-20 hindsight.

I'm good with what they did. Think the first 3 picks were coaches picks.

I'd love to have that 4th rounder, but Bell is far more of a projection than Lomu.

 

[40yrpatsfan]

Lomu was a 1st round grade, there wasn't another OT taken till the 3rd round, we badly needed a quality tackle, there was huge risk that he'd get taken at 28-30, and we didn't overpay. Checks all the boxes, shouldn't 2nd guess it. This guy will become one of our starting OT's, possibly at LT even.

There were a few other decent Edge choices at 55, but the Pats clearly love Jacas, he was the highest rated edge remaining, we badly needed a quality edge, he wouldn't have lasted another 8 picks, and we didn't overpay. So again, not to be second guessed.

At 95, Raridon fills our 3rd big need with a quality talent, top-100 on all boards, even his medicals are fine. Nobody is 2nd guessing this pick.

4th round - we spent those picks and it was capital well spent. But sitting there helplessly between 96 & 171 was a reminder that you better be 100% sure before using draft choices to move up.

Happy with Prunty at 171 and Crownover in the 190's. They both solidify key positions, and we'd worked out both of them.

After that idk. Moving down from 191 and 198, we missed on some good names like Jack Kelly-VJ Payne-Micah Morris. Maybe we'll be happy with the LB-QB-RB-Edge we took at the end (+ getting a 2027 6th), but time will tell.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

There were a few other decent Edge choices at 55, but the Pats clearly love Jacas, he was the highest rated edge remaining, we badly needed a quality edge, he wouldn't have lasted another 8 picks, and we didn't overpay. So again, not to be second guessed.

How do you know Jacas would not have lasted 8 more picks?

 

[40yrpatsfan]

Well, the Raiders and 49ers picked edges at 67 and 70, and each had multiple 3rd-4th-5th round picks to use. So when it got to say 60, they wouldn’t have been a threat to jump us? Jacas isn’t better than the guys they picked?

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Well, the Raiders and 49ers picked edges at 67 and 70, and each had multiple 3rd-4th-5th round picks to use. So when it got to say 60, they wouldn’t have been a threat to jump us? Jacas isn’t better than the guys they picked?

You so are concerned, but do not know?