Patriots Banking On Athleticism, Upside With Selection Of Eli Raridon

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The New England Patriotsselected tight end Eli Raridon with the No. 95 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Raridon, who benefitted from an unexpected run at the position earlier in the night, went earlier than expected. The Patriots certainly don't mind the pick being labeled as a reach, however, because he has the athletic profile to become an elite player in the coming years.

Raridon's full draft profile can be found below, along with quotes from experts, the team, and... well, me:

BIO:​

Eli Raridon
Position: TE
Height: 6' 6"
Weight: 245 lbs
Hand: 10 3/4"
Arm: 32 3/4"
Scouting Combine: 4.62 (40), 36" (Vertical), 123" (Broad), 20 (Bench Press)

Luck of the Irish

Welcome to New England, @EliRaridon! pic.twitter.com/sf4uGojlHl

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) April 25, 2026

WHAT THE EXPERTS ARE SAYING: ​

Raridon is still figuring things out, but he gets to top gear quickly and has promising ball skills and blocking chops. His college tape shows the building blocks of an intriguing pro-level tight end, although the medicals will influence his draft projection. - The Athletic's Dane Brugler


The former basketball star was a hot riser in the predraft process, with many teams highlighting him as a potential Round 3 pick if there was an early run on tight ends. There was, and Raridon goes to a team that needed to get younger and faster at the position with 31-year-old Hunter Henry having only one year left on his contract. Raridon didn't have great stats in college (only 48 career catches), but banking on his above-the-rim ability and inline-blocker upside at this point in the draft is solid strategy. - ESPN's Matt Miller

Projects as a “Y” tight end with the ability to play and produce on all three downs. In the pros, Raridon might spend more time with his hand in the ground than he did at Notre Dame. He blocks with solid technique and good tenacity but still needs to add muscle mass to his long frame. The Notre Dame passing attack opened him up on intermediate hash throws against zone but he also has sneaky build-up speed and ball skills to make catches down the field. Raridon needs more experience but is an ascending talent who should become the seventh Notre Dame tight end drafted over the last nine years. - NFL Media's Lance Zierlein

WHAT THE PATRIOTS ARE SAYING: ​

"I'm versatile. I can do both things in the pass and blocking game, and make explosive plays with the ball in my hands." - Eli Raridon

"I thought the new facilities were awesome...really excited to be part of an organization with such great leadership." - Eli Raridon

"Tremendous athlete. One-year player who overcame injuries at Notre Dame... you can just see his confidence growing and growing. He's probably more of a pass-catcher, but a willing blocker." - Eliot Wolf

"We didn't think Eli was going to be there after all those tight ends started going, but we thought maybe if we sat there it would work out for us." - Eliot Wolf

WHAT I'M SAYING: ​

PLAYER BREAKDOWN: Raridon's athletic ability is the reason that he was even in consideration to be taken as early as he was, which is saying something considering the fact that he finished with just 48 receptions across 40 career games at Notre Dame -- but running just take a look at those numbers up above, folks.

I'd imagine there will be a focus on adding size, but there shouldn't be any doubt about whether or not he can contribute in the running game as he was one of the reasons the Fighting Irish had one of the best rushing attacks in the nation in 2025.

PICK BREAKDOWN: The Patriots are in good hands as they look to develop a relatively raw athlete behind Hunter Henry, while he'll be able to learn a lot from the likes of Julian Hill and Reggie Gilliam. New England needed to put itself in position to start that process sooner rather than later, and was able to do so while also making more important picks earlier in the draft.

GRADE: B+

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