Patriots 2026 NFL Draft Preview: Tight ends

Heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, tight end looks like one of the bigger needs for the New England Patriots. That relates to both the team's 2026 outlook, as well as the longer-term approach.

Hunter Henry returns at the top of the depth chart after a strong 2025 that included a career-high 768 receiving yards. However at 31-years-old and entering the final year of his contract, nothing is guaranteed beyond this year.

Behind him, depth is a need. Austin Hooper left in free agency, leaving the only tight end on the roster with NFL experience as primary blocker Julian Hill, who the team signed in free agency. Hill has just 33 NFL receptions in three seasons.

If the Patriots want to run more two tight end sets this year - typically a staple for Josh McDaniels - finding another tight end who fits with Henry and Hill is a need. Ideally, that tight end would also have the upside to potentially become the starter whenever Henry's time in New England is over.

Looking at this year's tight end class, the Patriots certainly have a chance to find that guy. It's not a top-heavy group at the position but the talent runs deep, and includes different prototypes at the position from pure receivers to move tight ends to blockers and more well-rounded players as well. It's just a matter of how much the Patriots want to invest in the position. Let's get started learning this class...

Sadiq is the only projected first-round tight end in this class. At 6-foot-3, 241 pounds the Oregon product is an elite athlete who is at his best after the catch. After a breakout season for the Ducks last year Sadiq continued to help his stock with a dominant Combine that included a new tight end record 4.39-second 40-yard dash.

That all likely puts him out of the Patriots' range. If anything, it would take an aggressive trade up for the Pats to have a shot at taking him.

Realistically, Pick 63 (or a slight trade up from that spot) is probably where the tight end conversation starts for the Patriots. On the higher end of the Day 2 tight ends are Max Klare from Ohio State and Eli Stowers from Vanderbilt who are both projected fringe top 50 picks, and the next tight ends on the consensus board after Sadiq.

Klare is the more well-rounded player of the two. At 6-foot-4, 246 pounds he split his time just about evenly last year lining up inline and in the slot. From either alignment he's more of a field stretcher than a chain mover, although he can run routes to all three levels. His blocking is still a work in progress, but further along than most tight ends in this class.

Stowers functions as more of a big slot receiver at 6-foot-4, 239 pounds. Unlike many college tight ends who lack production due to their diminished role in the systems run at that level, Vanderbilt's offense funneled a lot through Stowers. He caught 62 passes for 769 yards, far and away leading all SEC tight ends in those categories.

A converted quarterback, Stowers sees the field well and can get himself open with smart route running, while he refines his technique. He profiles as a move tight end, who teams can use to hunt matchups. His elite athletic profile will help with that, including a tight end-record 45.5-inch vertical at the Combine. However, he's not going to offer much as a blocker.

Oscar Delp from Georgia and Sam Roush from Stanford are also projected Day 2 picks, but their range is a little tougher to pin down. They've been viewed as fast-risers externally during the pre-draft process, but NFL teams have a lot of information the general public doesn't. The question is, just how big is the gap? Most likely, they're third-round picks.

With Delp, it's not surprising to see him enter the top-100 conversation. The latest tight end out of Georgia, Delp looks like he has the potential to do just about everything asked of a tight end at the NFL level at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds. He runs routes at all three levels and can make defenders miss after the catch. While nobody will mistake him for a left tackle, his blocking is solid for what he also gives as a receiver.

So why isn't Delp projected higher? There aren't a ton of numbers to back up what he shows on tape. He sat behind Brock Bowers his first two years with the Bulldogs, and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo deemphasized the tight end since. When he is out in the pattern, Delp has also been impacted by poor quarterback play at times. In 28 games over the last two years he caught a total of 41 passes for 509 yards and five touchdowns.

With that lack of production, the Combine seemed like Delp's best chance to make his case for NFL teams. However, a pre-Combine physical revealed a hairline fracture in Delp's foot that he had unknowingly been playing through, which kept him out of drills. He was able to get on the field for his Pro Day, running a 4.48-second 40 and 38.5-inch vertical.

Overall a lot of Delp's draft stock is based on potential, but his upside is significant. It's just a matter of how much any NFL team - including the Patriots - will be wiling to bet on that potential. Still, he should be a top-100 pick, and may end up a trade-up candidate from Pick 95 for New England.

Roush also fits into this category, but he was able to work out at the Combine which started his jump. At 6-foot-6, 267 pounds he ran a 4.70 40 with a 38.5-inch vertical while putting up 25 reps on the bench.

In some ways Roush is a more throwback tight end, having lined up inline 65.6% of the time for the Cardinal. At his size he's a better blocker than Delp both in the run and pass game. As a receiver he's more of a true vertical threat than a yards after catch player. He's not as smooth of a mover though, limiting his route tree. In a career year at Stanford last year he caught 49 passes for 545 yards and two touchdowns.

Moving on to players projected to go outside of the top 100, we'll start with two players who are on the fringe of Day 2 or Day 3 in Michael Trigg and Justin Joly. Both are pure receiving tight ends, but win differently. Trigg is excellent at the catch point with strong hands, playing well beyond his 6-foot-4, 240 pounds. He'd bring a field stretching element to an offense.

Joly is more of a move tight end at 6-foot-3, 241 pounds. He's better underneath and with the ball in his hands. Like Trigg though, he won't offer as much as a blocker.

The next group of combo tight ends are more in the fourth- to fifth-round range. There's a trio of players expected to go in those picks that fit more of the well-rounded mold in Jack Endries from Texas, Joe Royer from Cincinnati, and Eli Raridon from Notre Dame.

Of that group Raridon might have the highest ceiling, but the lowest floor. The latest player in the Notre Dame tight end pipeline he had a career year in 2025 with 32 catches for 482 yards. However that's his only season of significant production, in part due to the fact he's torn his right ACL twice (2021 and 2022).

When on the field, Raridon does a good job of separating in the short and intermediate parts of the field and makes contested catches. He's also one of the more developed blockers in this class at 6-foot-6, 245 pounds and should continue to improve in that regard once he gets into an NFL weight room. But his injury history will be something teams look at.

Moving further down the board there are still tight ends will more well-rounded skillsets, but they are more project players at this point. That includes players like Dallen Bentley from Utah and Marlin Klein from Michigan.

For most of his career at Utah Bentley, who stands 6-foot-4, 253 pounds, was primarily used as a blocker. He had a total of three catches over his first two seasons, despite playing over 400 snaps during that time. Last year though his receiving role expanded and he caught 48 passes for 620 yards and six touchdowns. With a big catch radius he projects as a chain mover for teams that believe his 2025 receiving production was not a fluke.

Klein's ability as a well-rounded tight end is more of a projection. Born in Germany, he didn't start playing football until he was in high school, and started just 12 games in college. At 6-foot-6, 248 pounds he's already shown he can use his size to block. He's still growing as a receiver but did show some progress last year with 24 catches for 248 yards in 11 games. It'll be up to teams to develop him more there but he does have athletic upside, running a 4.61 40 with a 46-inch vertical at the Combine.

Among the receiving tight ends in this part of the draft are Dae'Quan Wright from Ole Miss and Tanner Koziol from Houston. As a pass-catcher Wright can do a lot. At 6-foot-4, 246 pounds he has strong hands and a good catch radius but can also win underneath and create after the catch. Koziol, at 6-foot-6, 247 pounds is more of a 50/50 ball and red zone threat with excellent hands.

This is also where we start to get into some of the more pure blocking tight ends, although that feels like less of a need for the Patriots with Hill on the roster. If the Patriots do choose to add another primary blocking tight end though, Will Kacmarek from Ohio State and Nate Boerkircher from Texas A&M are players expected to go right around the top 150.

If the Patriots wait until late in the draft they may not find tight ends with the upside to replace Henry, but there are still some players who could make an impact as a secondary tight end. That group is highlighted by John Michael Gyllenborg from Wyoming.

At 6-foot-6, 249 pounds Gyllenborg has good speed (4.60 40) and quickness, but that doesn't always show up in his route running. When he does get the ball though he can run around and through defenders. He's also shown promise as a blocker. For a player his size he's not as much of a contested catch winner, and he's also missed some time with injuries playing nine games in each of the last two years.

Riley Nowakowski from Indiana has a background as a blocking tight end at 6-foot-2, 250 pounds. He got more involved as a pass catcher this past season so there may be something to tap into there, but he's undersized as a regular pass-catching option. Still, he's a technique sound and violent blocker, which will get him NFL looks.

R.J. Maryland, SMU: The son of 1991 first overall pick Russell Maryland, R.J. is a pure receiving tight end who can stretch the field vertically and is good at going outside of his frame to catch the ball. He fits the 'big slot receiver' mold after running a 4.51 40 at 6-foot-4, 236 pounds. At SMU he rarely lined up inline, and doesn't offer much as a blocker in that regard.

Lake McRee, USC: McRee was a productive pass catcher for three years at USC, including a career-year with 30 catches for 450 yards and four touchdowns last season. He wins a lot with contested catches, and can take on contact after the catch as well. Still, that skillset alone is going to be tougher against bigger, faster NFL defenders. McRee also has two ACL tears, with the most recent one in 2023.

Bauer Sharp, LSU: A converted quarterback who played at three different schools in college Sharp is more of a raw athlete at this point. At 6-foot-5, 249 pounds he has physical tools to work with, but he's a project player at the next level.

Miles Kitselman, Tennessee: Kitselman is a pure blocker at 6-foot-5, 251 pounds. Still, his experience blocking in space in Tennessee's unique offense could set him up for some H-back type responsibilities. He went viral at the Combine for being vocally displeased with his 40.