Eli Raridon Fell to Pick 95 and the Patriots Just Got Their Next Tight End Folk Hero

Let's be real: the Patriots' 2026 draft class is divisive. The pundits gave New England just the 19th highest grade overall, with six grades of C+ or lower compared to only three A-minuses and zero A's. But GM Eliot Wolf wasn't trying to impress the talking heads. He was building.

With six of nine picks at 171 or later, Wolf executed a classic strategy: stockpile middle-round picks, use them to trade up for targeted guys like OT Caleb Lomu and Edge Gabe Jacas, then sit back at No. 95 and grab their guy at a position of actual need. That guy is Eli Raridon, a tight end out of Notre Dame who might just be the piece this entire Pats rookie class hinges on.

The Gronk Comparisons Are Loud For a Reason

Yeah, the national media went there. The Gronkowski comparisons are already floating around, and the local guys aren't backing down either. Draft analysts who avoided that comparison were scratching their heads about why Raridon wasn't ranking higher on boards. He checks every box. His measurements are elite. His testing numbers are there. His film is solid. So what held him back?

ACL tears. One in high school, one as a freshman at Notre Dame. But here's the thing: he hasn't missed a game since. Sixteen games in 2024. Twelve last year when Notre Dame got robbed of the College Football Playoff berth they deserved and turned down a spot in the Pop-Tart Bowl. The durability questions linger, but the tape says he's moved past them.

The Blocking Changes Everything

This is what keeps Raridon on the field. Day 1 NFL-caliber blocker. Very good athlete in both his testing and his film. With Josh McDaniels looking to lean into Jumbo packages and build a more consistent run game in 2026, Raridon's blocking prowess is going to matter immediately.

He slots in behind Hunter Henry with only role players like Julian Hill around him. Raridon will have every opportunity to establish himself as a classic dual threat, in-line tight end. That position has been neglected in the Patriots' draft since the Asiasi and Keene disasters in 2020. This is Wolf's swing. The boom-or-bust pick that'll define this draft class by December.

There's also the Notre Dame legacy angle: you've got to go back 19 years to find another Irish player drafted by New England. The talent, the size, the speed, the blocking? Raridon's got the goods to fill a hole that's been there since 2018.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.