The New England Patriots logo is seen on a video board during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft
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The New England Patriots logo is seen on a video board during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft
It’s mock draft season, and the New England Patriots are looking to add on both sides of the football. The Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed has the Patriots selecting a national champion in one of his latest mock drafts.
The Patriots are certainly top-heavy at the running back position. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson both were able to help the Patriots form one of the best rushing attacks in football. With that being said, they could use additional depth at the position.
Antonio Gibson suffered a season-ending ACL injury in October. The Patriots released Gibson earlier this offseason, and could now use additional depth at the position. This is where Indiana running back Kaelon Black could contribute. Kyed stated his case to draft Black in the sixth round.
“After releasing Antonio Gibson, the Patriots need more competition for a depth roster spot behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson,” wrote Kyed on Wednesday. “A sixth-round pick like Black would compete with Terrell Jennings and Lan Larison.”
Black Would Strengthen Patriots’ Running Backs
Black would definitely provide a spark in the running back room for the Patriots. He rushed the football 106 times for 1,040 yards and 10 touchdowns. He played well in the postseason, recording two touchdowns in the Peach Bowl against Oregon. The playmaker finished his season with 79 rushing yards in a national title game against the Miami Hurricanes.
2025 was the best season of his career. Before his time at the Hoosiers, he played for Curt Cignetti at James Madison University. He played for the program from 2020 to 2023 and was able to establish himself as a viable running back. His best season for James Madison came in 2023. The bruiser tallied 637 rushing yards and a touchdown. He also recorded 27 receptions for 254 yards that year.
Aside from just Henderson and Stevenson, Jennings and Larison could also manage to make waves at the position. He recorded 23 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown. The running back played a larger role when Stevenson was out for an extended period of time due to injury. He ended up being one of the Patriots’ unsung heroes.
Larison suffered a foot injury during the preseason and did not play in 2025. He showed promise at the collegiate level, recording 3634 yards and 41 touchdowns over the span of 50 games at UC Davis. Larson played for the program from 2020 to 2024.
Running Back Still Strong For Patriots
Running back is one of the stronger positions on the entire Patriots roster. It is not a dire need like some of the other offensive spots. However, the Patriots need depth at the position. We saw how quickly the depth was tested once Stevenson went down with an injury. Luckily, Henderson was able to pick up a lot of the slack that Stevenson did not because of his injury. Black could be a solid insurance policy on an offense that should figure to be explosive in the 2026 campaign. It would be a low-risk, high-reward selection for a team that already has a solid group of offensive talent.
The draft is quickly approaching, and the Patriots have several different directions that they can go in. Adding a depth running back to an already stable positional group would certainly be a good use of a draft pick.