{"id":66362,"date":"2026-04-21T04:30:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T08:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=66362"},"modified":"2026-04-21T07:53:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T11:53:01","slug":"morse-what-will-the-patriots-do-in-the-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/04\/21\/morse-what-will-the-patriots-do-in-the-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"MORSE: What Will the Patriots Do in the Draft?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What will the Patriots do when it comes to the Draft this week?\u00a0 Will it be Best Player Available, or will they draft for need?\u00a0 Mike Vrabel has made it clear that this draft isn\u2019t a \u201cNeed for Need\u201d draft.\u00a0 I somewhat disagree with the philosophy of drafting the best Player Available because this team does not have the depth yet to employ that philosophy.<\/p>\n

The team post Free Agency has just replaced players they have lost to Free Agency.\u00a0 They may be better than they were before Free Agency, but that depends on the play from the veterans they have signed and the health of many of their veterans.<\/p>\n

Players with Injury History \u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Morgan Moses<\/strong> will be 35 years old and played every game last season.\u00a0 It is not reasonable to expect Moses, with a history of injuries, to be able to play an entire season at his advanced age.<\/p>\n

Carlton Davis<\/strong> also played every game last season, the 1st<\/sup> time he has played every game in his 8-year career.<\/p>\n

Robert Spillane<\/strong> was injured last season and missed 4 games.\u00a0 He turns 31 late in the season.<\/p>\n

Alijah Vera-Tucker<\/strong> was a major upgrade at Left Guard in Free Agency, if he can stay healthy.\u00a0 \u00a0He has missed all of 3 of the last 4 seasons with injuries.\u00a0 Can he be counted on?<\/p>\n

Harold Landry<\/strong> was not the same player after his knee injury in week six. He is working diligently to rehab his knee.\u00a0 His contract is guaranteed at $16M for this season and cutting him would have been foolish.<\/p>\n

\n

\"KayshonKayshon Boutte is a free agent after this season.(PHOTO: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Upcoming Free Agents in 2027 <\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Patriots have several players that are playing in their Contract Year.\u00a0 This means they will be Unrestricted Free Agents after the 2026 season and questionable if they will be extended or offered a new contract.<\/p>\n

WR Kayshon Boutte<\/strong><\/p>\n

WR Demario Douglas <\/strong><\/p>\n

WR Mack Hollins<\/strong><\/p>\n

TE Hunter Henry<\/strong><\/p>\n

S Kevin Byard<\/strong><\/p>\n

OG Michael Onwenu<\/strong><\/p>\n

LB Christian Elliss<\/strong><\/p>\n

OT Morgan Moses<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Carlton Davis – (PHOTO: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images)<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Players That Don\u2019t Have Guaranteed Money after 2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n

These players are candidates to be cut after the 2026 season because they don\u2019t have any guaranteed money in the final year of their contracts.<\/p>\n

CB Carlton Davis<\/strong><\/p>\n

DT Christian Barmore<\/strong><\/p>\n

EDGE Harold Landry<\/strong><\/p>\n

What are the Strengths of the Draft?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

EDGE \u2013 <\/strong>This is one of the best drafts in recent history if you need an EDGE player.\u00a0 However, there are no Superstar EDGE players, as each one has some warts or deficiencies.\u00a0 I expect a run on EDGE players through the 2nd<\/sup> round.<\/p>\n

Tight End<\/strong> \u2013 This may be the largest class of quality TEs I have seen.\u00a0 The Patriots may think about double-dipping at this position.\u00a0 One note, many TEs coming out of colleges are glorified receivers and can\u2019t or aren\u2019t asked to block inline.\u00a0 Those who can do both are at a premium.<\/p>\n

Wide Receiver<\/strong> \u2013 The receiver class is pretty deep, but again no sure-fire superstars.\u00a0 I am going to assume the Patriots have a deal in place with Philadelphia for AJ Brown (after June 1st<\/sup>).\u00a0 Therefore, I don\u2019t see WR as a high priority.<\/p>\n

Offensive Line<\/strong> \u2013 There are quite a few Right Tackles and several Guards and Centers.\u00a0 Just so happens that the Patriots are in need of both.\u00a0 There will be quality Right Tackles that will end up as UDFAs.<\/p>\n

Safety <\/strong>\u2013 A deep draft for Safeties in which several players from Day Three of the draft will make a big impact and be starters in the league.<\/p>\n

Linebacker<\/strong> –\u00a0 a few top players, but then a drop-off until Day Three.\u00a0 There is quality deep into the draft.<\/p>\n

Weaknesses of the Draft<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Running back <\/strong>\u2013 This is one of the worst running back classes I can remember<\/p>\n

Quarterback<\/strong> \u2013 There is only one 1st round QB, and if it were any other year, he might not be a 1st rounder.\u00a0 Some teams may reach for a QB late in the 1st<\/sup> round, or trade back into the later part of the 1st<\/sup> round to take a QB and get the 5th<\/sup> year option on him.\u00a0 The Patriots might be willing to drop down into the high 2nd<\/sup> round and pick up another Draft pick.<\/p>\n

Left Tackle<\/strong> \u2013 There is no depth in this position.\u00a0 Get one early or risk getting shut out.<\/p>\n

Defensive Tackles<\/strong> \u2013 There are some road-grading nose tackles, but the depth of the overall position is weak.<\/span><\/p>\n

What EVP of Personnel Eliot Wolf had to say about the Draft:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On Edge Players<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cWe could complement our room with some speed<\/strong>, I think that’s evident.\u201d\u00a0 The Patriots like big, fast EDGE players that can hold the edge and rush the passer.\u00a0 They like them 6\u20193\u201d 255 pounds.\u00a0 Not many of the EDGE players match that description.\u00a0 Some will be better run stuffers and others strictly pass rushers. \u00a0In Dane Brugler\u2019s top 100 players, the EDGE position had 16 players within the Top 100.<\/p>\n

On Linebackers<\/strong> – “Yeah, I think it\u2019s solid,\u201d said Wolf.\u00a0 “I think there\u2019s a lot of players that you could justify using a day 3 pickup.\u201d\u00a0 The Patriots lost Jack Gibbens to Free Agency and released Jahlani Tavai and Marte Mapu.\u00a0 That\u2019s at least three open spots.<\/p>\n

Offensive Line <\/strong>– \u201cI think I think it\u2019s a pretty strong draft on the offensive and defensive line.\u201d\u00a0 I tend to disagree with him a bit.\u00a0 Right Tackles, Guards and Centers there are some quality players.\u00a0 Left Tackle not so much.<\/p>\n

Quarterback<\/strong> \u2013 They will be adding a third (or 4th<\/sup> camp arm) either through the draft, veteran Free Agent or UDFAs after the draft.<\/p>\n

For Wolf, however, drafting this year could be more about 2027 than the 2026 season.\u00a0 I don\u2019t see many rookies getting significant playing time like the team did last season.\u00a0 They will sit and learn unless there is a significant injury.<\/p>\n

Need versus BPA<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Looking at the draft and comparing it to what the Patriots needs are, I would rank these as my team priorities.\u00a0 This doesn\u2019t mean the team will select players in these positions nor in this order.<\/p>\n

EDGE<\/p>\n

Right Tackle<\/p>\n

Linebacker<\/p>\n

Tight End<\/p>\n

Offensive Guard<\/p>\n

Cornerback<\/p>\n

Safety<\/p>\n

Punter<\/p>\n

Runningback<\/p>\n

Swing Tackle<\/p>\n

Quarterback<\/p>\n

Two Prospects that Reportedly Refused to Work Out<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Max Klare TE Ohio State <\/strong><\/p>\n

Keyron Crawford EDGE Auburn<\/strong><\/p>\n

I believe each is trying to hide their inadequate testing numbers.\u00a0 Neither performed at the Combine, and Klare didn\u2019t run at the Ohio State Pro Days.\u00a0 Mike Vrabel has a line into Ohio State, having coached there and being a revered alumnus.\u00a0 He is close to the coaching staff and he would know if Klare is trying to hide something.\u00a0 Could Klare be purposely hiding data and info from scouts to get him drafted by the team he wants to play for?<\/p>\n

Crawford has conflicting measurements being reported from his Pro Day. \u00a0NFL Draft Buzz reported that Crawford ran a 4.8 40, which is pretty bad for an EDGE rusher.\u00a0 This number wasn\u2019t readily available, as I think Crawford is trying to hide this number from the scouts.<\/p>\n

Derrick Moore<\/strong> didn\u2019t work out because of a Hamstring injury.\u00a0 Mike Vravel hates soft tissue injuries, and this injury has lingered.\u00a0 This may bump Moore off the Patriots board.<\/p>\n

KC Concepcion WR Texas A&M<\/strong> \u2013 I don\u2019t care what anyone thinks of him as a prospect, but you have to cheer for him as a human being.\u00a0 He wrote a letter to all 32 NFL GMs and talked about his stuttering problem that he has had since a child.\u00a0 He published this letter in the NFL Players Tribune.\u00a0 He went on to explain his trouble growing up and being picked on, etc.\u00a0 If you have a chance to read it, I think you’ll be in his cheering section no matter which team drafts him.<\/p>\n

I will also add that he is the most confident player I have seen in this year’s draft.\u00a0 He thinks he is the best player at his position and that nobody will outwork him.\u00a0 A Letter to NFL GMs by KC Concepcion | The Players\u2019 Tribune<\/a><\/p>\n

Christian Gonzalez Leads by Example at Patriots First Day of Off-Season Workouts<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Great news for Patriots fans as Christian Gonzalez was at the first day of offseason workouts.\u00a0 This indicates that Gonzalez and the Patriots are working towards an extension and that talks must be heading in the right direction.\u00a0 Gonzalez has indicated that he wants to be a Team Captain, and his presence at the first workouts is a strong indication of his leadership.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Patriots’ draft strategy is debated: BPA vs. need. Eliot Wolf shares insights on positional strengths, weaknesses, and team priorities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":66279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24161,10],"tags":[24419,23702,22492,23269,23280,24536,23446,802,2211,1604,24538,23278,24539,305,2309,664,22738,24537,1967,23931,8,24209,23700,24206,24043],"class_list":["post-66362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2026-patriots-draft","category-patriots-news","tag-alijah-vera-tucker","tag-carlton-davis","tag-christian-barmore","tag-christian-gonzalez","tag-demario-douglas","tag-edge","tag-eliot-wolf","tag-free-agency","tag-harold-landry","tag-hunter-henry","tag-injury-history","tag-kayshon-boutte","tag-kc-concepcion","tag-linebacker","tag-michael-onwenu","tag-mike-vrabel","tag-morgan-moses","tag-need-versus-bpa","tag-nfl-draft","tag-offensive-line","tag-patriots","tag-quarterback","tag-robert-spillane","tag-tight-end","tag-wide-receiver"],"yoast_head":"\nMORSE: What Will the Patriots Do in the Draft?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Patriots' draft strategy is debated: BPA vs. need. 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