New England Patriots

Raridon was selected by New England with the No. 95 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Patriots selected Notre Dame tight end Eli Raridon with the No. 95 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Friday night.

It was the first pick the Patriots made in this draft without trading up. New England swung trades with Buffalo and Los Angeles to take offensive tackle Caleb Lomu and edge rusher Gabe Jacas in the first and second rounds, respectively.

Raridon is a 6-foot-7-inch, 251-pound tight end. He has a 36-inch vertical leap and ran a 4.62 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. He’ll present a rangy, athletic target for Drake Maye.

The Patriots needed to bolster their tight end depth after losing Austin Hooper in free-agency. Hunter Henry will turn 32 in December. Julian Hill has 33 career catches and 288 receiving yards.

Henry has been a go-to option for Maye, finishing first on the team in targets in 2024 and second in 2025. Now with Raridon, they’ll have a speedy Y-type tight end to pair with Henry.

This is an upside pick. Raridon had three career touchdowns at Notre Dame. He had 623 yards over three seasons. He started 18 out of 40 games with the Fighting Irish. Twelve of those starts came last season.

His blocking ability will help determine whether he develops into a three-down player. Some draft analysts said he’ll need to get stronger to reach his full potential at the NFL level.

With his size and skill-set, he has shown ability to make contested catches. Being able to help in all phases of the game could go a long way for Raridon in New England.

His dad played offensive line at Notre Dame, and grandfather was a strength coach on the 1988 national title team on Lou Holtz’s staff.

And now, he’s a Patriot. New England closed out the team’s Day 2 by taking him.