The New England Patriots might encounter some challenges with their pass rush this offseason, as K'Lavon Chaisson is poised to enter free agency, and Harold Landry III faces an uncertain future.
To bolster their defense, the Patriots could explore adding a couple of pass rushers through free agency. Additionally, they should consider selecting a promising young pass rusher early in the 2026 NFL Draft for long-term development.
The Athletic's Chad Graff might have a solution for the Patriots to acquire a young pass rusher, as he predicted that New England would select Missouri pass rusher Zion Young with the 31st pick in a recent mock draft.
"This mock draft didn't turn out great for the Patriots. We were hoping one of Brugler's top-5 offensive tackles or top-6 wide receivers or top-7 edge rushers would fall to the 31st pick," Graff wrote on Thursday.
"Alas, none did. This would be a good spot for the Patriots to trade back, but since we couldn't find any takers, we went with Young. Some teams may view him as undersized, but he would fit what the Pats are looking for at edge rusher and boost one of their weakest positions entering the offseason."
Young played four seasons of college football, spending his first two years at Michigan State before transferring to Missouri in 2024. He had a breakout season last year, recording 6.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss in 13 games. This brought his career totals to 11.5 sacks and 28.5 tackles for loss during his 46-game college career.
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