Two days down, one to go.
The Patriots are scheduled to make five draft picks Saturday over the final rounds of the NFL Draft. The Pats opened this year’s draft by selecting Utah left tackle Caleb Lomu in the first round Thursday, then adding Illinois edge defender Gabe Jacas and Notre Dame tight end Eli Raridon in the second and third round, respectively, Friday. Drafting Lomu and Jacas required the Patriots to move up with trades that cost them two fourth-round picks and a sixth-rounder.
Barring another trade, the Pats won’t pick until No. 171 overall in the fifth round. Their remaining selections are at No. 191, 198 and 212 in the sixth round and a seventh-round selection at No. 247 overall.
Find all of the latest Patriots updates and pick-by-pick grades here with the Herald’s Day 3 draft tracker:
Day 3
Raiders, Bills start Day 3 with trade
12:10 p.m. The Raiders opened the fourth round by trading up one spot in a deal with Buffalo that netted them Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy, a projected first-round pick who’s fallen due to injury concerns.
The Bills then selected Boston College offensive tackle Jude Bowry.
The Patriots are unlikely to make their next selection until after 2 p.m.
Day 2
Pats select Notre Dame TE Eli Raridon 95th overall
Grade: B
Raridon is a tall, athletic tight end who, like Jacas and Lomu, could solve a present and future need for the Patriots.
He should immediately compete with free-agent addition Julian Hill for the No. 2 job this season and could succeed Hunter Henry as the team’s top tight end starting next year. At 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, Raridon offers a big target over the middle and down the seams. He had 48 catches for 623 yards and three touchdowns over his college career.
Raridon doesn’t wow as a blocker, though he’s effective in space, and his frame suggests he could easily add weight. This is a decent bet by the Patriots that Raridon’s athletic traits will allow him to develop into a solid NFL tight end, even if he never sniffed dominance at Notre Dame.
Raridon has elite speed for the position (4.62 in the 40-yard dash) and posted high marks in the vertical and broad jumps at the NFL combine, which speak to his explosiveness. His basketball background is also evident on 50/50 balls, an area the Pats may be able to tap into early in his career.
Pats trade up for Gabe Jacas at No. 55 overall
Grade: A
Like Mike Vrabel told Jacas on the phone shortly after his selection, he embodies everything the Patriots want in a player.
Violent, physical, relentless. He’s tough and exceptionally strong. Jacas leaves Illinois as one of the most productive edge rushers in college football (11 sacks last season) and one of the most experienced players in this year’s draft cycle (41 career starts).
Former Illinois assistant and Patriots legend James White called Jacas a “perfect fit” for New England in a text exchange with the Herald.
“Good, tough player,” White wrote. “(He) practices hard. Great vocal leader.”
Jacas was a captain at Illinois. He stands at 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, fitting the exact physical prototype for a Patriots edge defender. He can stand to be a bit more disciplined coming off the edge, but at 55th overall the Patriots not only landed arguably the best player available but the best player who can help address their most glaring need.
This was a no-doubt home-run pick.
Day 1
Patriots select Utah LT Caleb Lomu in 1st round
Grade: B+
Eliot Wolf said he was surprised to see Lomu still on the board when the Patriots finalized a trade to move up and select him.
He wasn’t alone.
After six offensive tackles went in the top 21 picks, Lomu slid toward the end of the first round despite allowing zero sacks last season and testing as an elite athlete for his position at the combine. A two-year starter at left tackle, Lomu is still only 21. He fills a major need for the Patriots, whose offensive tackle depth this season and beyond are both question marks.
So, why not an “A” grade for this pick?
Lomu is expected to change positions in New England, which clouds his projection at the next level. Will Campbell remains the Patriots’ starting left tackle. Had the Pats instead landed a college right tackle like Clemson’s Blake Miller (drafted 17th overall by Detroit) or Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor (drafted 21st by Pittsburgh), the vision would have been clearer. For now, Wolf claims Lomu can play almost anywhere across the offensive line.
Lomu also comes with questions about his size and play demeanor. He said he’s already gained weight after playing at 307 pounds last season. He would do well to play with more of an edge, particularly as a run-blocker where he struggled at times against bigger defenders.
But Lomu’s talent is obvious. If he can successfully serve as the Patriots’ swing tackle as a rookie, then start at right tackle for 2027 and beyond, Lomu could be one of the best picks the team has made in recent memory.
