The 2026 NFL Draft is in the books, which was a change of pace for the New England Patriots picking 31st overall after back-to-back years in the top-five. The team added nine total players to their roster over the weekend with the most notable coming after early-round trade ups to select offensive tackle Caleb Lomu and edge rusher Gabe Jacas.
The rest of their haul also includes some intriguing talent and valuable depth additions for this year and beyond, which New England will hope allows them to get back to the Super Bowl. Following the draft, the Patriots are tied for the third highest odds to win the AFC on FanDuel Sportsbook.
With their haul, the Patriots received fairly solid grades from the experts. Let’s take a look at those, both from Pats Pulpit and the rest of the country.
Pats Pulpit
Pat Lane: B–
For a more detailed breakdown of Pat’s grades please take a look at this story. Pat’s grade fell in line with the community.
Among voters in our open survey, 60% graded the Patriots draft a B. More participants sided with a C (22%) over an A (12%), however, which coincided with grades from national media members.
National media
Sporting News: A-
Danny Kelly (The Ringer): B+
Chad Reuter (NFL.com): B+
James Dator and Mark Schofield (SB Nation): B
Matt Verderame (Sports Illustrated): B
Charles McDonald (Yahoo Sports): B
Mel Kiper Jr. (ESPN): B
Rob Rang (Fox Sports): B
Nate Davis (USA Today): B-
Pro Football Focus:C+
Ryan McCrystal (Sharp Football Analysis): C
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports): C
The Patriots did not stop adding to its rookie pool after making their final draft pick, Boston College’s Quintayvious Hutchins, as the team signed several undrafted free agents. Please check out our Patriots UDFA Tracker to stay up to date.
