New England Patriots
Offensive tackle Max Iheanachor continues to be associated with the Patriots a week before the draft.
The Patriots have the No. 31 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
The 2026 NFL Draft is less than a week away, and experts continue to weigh in on where certain players will fall.
The Patriots will have a less exciting Thursday night than their previous two drafts where they made top-5 selections. Instead, they’ll be picking No. 31 overall barring any trades.
New England still has needs to fill after a relatively quiet free agency thus far. Here’s who different mock drafts have the Patriots selecting with the 31st overall pick on Thursday night.
OT Max Iheanachor
Iheanachor’s name has been associated with the Patriots multiple times in the weeks leading up to the draft. CBS Sports projects him to land in New England at No. 31, while NFL.com’s Eric Edholm called Iheanachor the Patriots’ “ideal” top pick.
The Arizona State product would project as the successor to Morgan Moses at right tackle, as the 35-year-old may not be around much longer, even if he does opt to play in 2026.
Max Iheanachor confirms he has had a visit with the New England Patriots already.
Here’s him speaking on Mike Vrabel.
“It’s a blessing for me to be able to learn from him and him being hands-on, telling me what I need to work on…I went in for a visit… pic.twitter.com/kX7EZoCTcJ
— Savage (@Savageboston) March 28, 2026
Iheanachor is 6-foot-6-inches, 321 pounds, and the seventh-ranked offensive tackle in the draft according to CBS Sports. If selected, the Patriots will have a pair of young tackles to help solidify their offensive line, present and future.
DE Akheem Mesidor
ESPN has New England bolstering their defensive line in Round 1 Thursday night.
Mesidor had 12.5 sacks and 58 pressures with Miami last season, anchoring a defense that brought the Hurricanes to the College Football Playoff. He’s on the older side for a prospect (25), but would seemingly fit right in with Harold Landry, newly acquired edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones, and the rest of the Patriots’ defensive line unit.
New England got off to a hot start to 2025 getting to the quarterback, but tailed off in the latter part of the year. Adding another young pass rusher in the first round would make sense for Mike Vrabel and the Patriots.
TE Eli Stowers
NFL.com’s seven-round mock draft sees a bolder move for the Patriots, selecting Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers in the first round.
New England still has Hunter Henry at its disposal, but Stowers could fit in as a second tight end until the captain is ready to retire. At 6-foot-4-inches and 240 pounds, Stowers isn’t the biggest-bodied tight end, but he has plenty of upside in the passing game.
Stowers had 62 catches for 769 yards and four touchdowns in his final season at Vanderbilt.
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