The 2026 NFL draft begins on April 23 in Pittsburgh, when the New England Patriots will pick at No. 31 overall in Round 1. The draft continues with Rounds 2-3 on April 24 and Rounds 4-7 on April 25 (ESPN, ABC and ESPN the app).The Patriots have 11 total picks: Nos. 31, 63, 95, 125, 131, 171, 191, 198, 202, 212, 247.A Pre-Draft Press Conference with Eliot Wolf is scheduled for 2PM on Monday, April 13th.Patriots Hall of Fame Finalists The nominating committee has selected Rob Gronkowski, Logan Mankins, and Adam Vinatieri as the finalists. Fans can vote once a day now through April 28th at this site https://www.patriots.com/hof . All three players are worthy of the nomination, and it will be difficult to select just one. Robert Kraft has also extended this honor to veteran members who may have been passed over by establishing a senior selection committee that has added three members to the Patriots Hall of Fame.The profiles of each nominee are from Patriots.comRob Gronkowski played for nine seasons (2010-18) with the Patriots after originally entering the NFL as a second-round draft pick (42nd overall) out of Arizona in the 2010 NFL Draft. He was a part of nine AFC East Division Championship teams, eight conference final teams, five AFC Championship teams, and three Super Bowl Championships with the Patriots. He totaled 521 receptions for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdown receptions in the regular season and posted 81 receptions for 1,163 yards and 12 touchdowns in the postseason. He ranks first in Patriots history with 80 total touchdowns (79 receiving and one rushing), and his 7,861 receiving yards are second in team history. In 2011, he set an NFL single-season record with 17 touchdown receptions by a tight end and a then record of 1,327 receiving yards (now sixth in NFL history). He earned five Pro Bowl selections (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2017) and four Associated Press First-Team All-Pro honors (2011, 2014, 2015, and 2017). After retiring following the 2018 season, Gronkowski returned to the NFL and finished his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he earned a fourth Super Bowl ring in 2020. He is a member of the Patriots All-Dynasty Team and 2010s All-Decade Team. He became the first tight end in NFL history to post three seasons of 1,000 yards receiving and 10-plus touchdowns (2011, 2014 and 2015). In addition, he became the first tight end in NFL history with three straight 10-plus touchdown seasons (2010-12). Gronkowski’s 1,389 postseason receiving yards are fourth in NFL history, and his 15 postseason receiving touchdowns are third in NFL history. His 32 100-yard receiving games are the second among all tight ends. He finished his career ranked sixth among all tight ends with 9,286 receiving yards and third with 92 touchdown receptions.Logan Mankins is recognized as one of the best offensive linemen in franchise history. He played nine of his 11 NFL seasons with the New England Patriots after joining the team as a first-round draft pick in 2005. The three-time team captain earned six Pro Bowl selections and six All-Pro honors (2007, 2009-13) during his time with New England, including First-Team Associated Press All-Pro honors following the 2010 season. Despite playing his entire collegiate career as a left tackle, Mankins was moved to left guard when he joined the Patriots and was immediately inserted into the starting lineup. Mankins started all 130 regular-season and 17 postseason games in which he appeared as a member of the Patriots. With Mankins in the lineup, the Patriots offense finished in the top 10 in eight of his nine seasons with the team – 2005 (7), 2007 (1), 2008 (5), 2009 (3), 2010 (8), 2011 (2), 2012 (1), and 2013 (7). Mankins finished his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014-15), earning a seventh Pro Bowl berth in his final season in 2015. He is a member of two of the Patriots’ All-Decade Teams (2000s and 2010s) and their 50th Anniversary team. Mankins is a finalist for the team’s hall of fame for the fourth straight time.Adam Vinatieri earned the reputation as one of the greatest and most clutch placekickers in the history of professional football during his 24 years in the NFL. After joining New England as a first-year free agent out of South Dakota State in 1996, he helped kick off the Patriots’ dynasty through 2005. He then spent the final 14 years of his career with Indianapolis from 2006-2019, winning a fourth Super Bowl in 2006. Vinatieri is the NFL’s all-time leading scorer with 2,673 points, as well as the NFL record-holder for most field goals made (599), postseason points scored (238), and overtime field goals made (12). He is also a member of the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team and the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team. As a member of the Patriots, Vinatieri was responsible for several of the most crucial field goals in NFL history. In 2001, Vinatieri connected on a 45-yard field goal in blizzard conditions to send the AFC Divisional Playoff game vs. the Oakland Raiders to overtime, and he then won the game on a 23-yard field goal. New England went on to Super Bowl XXXVI that season, and Vinatieri kicked the game-winning 48-yard field goal as time expired to give the Patriots their first Super Bowl victory. Two years later, in Super Bowl XXXVIII, Vinatieri kicked a 41-yard field goal with four seconds left in the game to secure a second Super Bowl victory for the Patriots in 2003. In his third Super Bowl with New England in 2004, Vinatieri converted a field goal and three extra points in a three-point victory, 24-21, over Philadelphia in Super Bowl XXXIX. His career as a Patriot earned him positions on the New England Patriots All-1990s Team, All-2000s Team, 50th Anniversary Team, and All-Dynasty Team. Vinatieri will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer.My votes are going to Adam Vinatieri. I have no doubt that Rob Gronkowski will eventually be added to the Hall of Fame, and hope that younger voters just don’t select the popular Gronkowski because he is the player they know the best. Vinatieri is going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer. It would be a shame if Vinatieri is not selected into the Patriots Hall while getting his Gold Jacket and bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His clutch Field Goals won the Patriots championships, and I firmly believe he should be the selection.The Beast has LandedDane Brugler has dropped his epic Draft Guide called “the Beast” on the Athletic pay site. Signing up for The Athletic’s yearly subscription is worth the price just to get The Beast, The Athletic – Sports news, stories, scores, schedules, podcasts, and more. I use Brugler’s evaluations when I do my final Mock Drafts and post-draft analysis. I took a glance at the Offensive Guard prospects in the Beast, and Brugler has write-ups for the top 30 Guards in the draft as well as rankings and Measurement Data for 159 Draft Eligible Guards. That is how comprehensive this guide is.Update to Patriots Spring Schedule
First day (voluntary program): April 20
NFL Draft: April 23-25
Rookie Minicamp: May 8-10
OTAs (voluntary): May 27, May 29, June 1-2, June 4, June 8-9, June 11
Mandatory minicamp: June 15-17
Harold Landry in the HouseFor the past three weeks, Harold Landry has been busy inside the building at Gillette, working on his knee injury rehab. Reports are that he has been getting treatment and working to get back to the level he played at before the knee injury.Local Pro Day The Patriots held a workout for prospective players from the local area, and one report stated that Ohio University WR Eamonn Dennis really impressed. Dennis has impressive measurable results of 4.4 40-yard dash, 1.5 10-yard split, 38” Vertical, 11’1” Broad Jump, and 7.19 3-cone drill. On the negative side, he stands 5’9.7” and weighs just 184 pounds. For all his athletic ability, he started only 2 games in his six-year college career with just 4 catches. This sounds like something that was posted on X by his agent, trying to get some hype for his client.Jeremiah Wright has Top 30 Visit with the PatriotsHe has been a player linked to the Patriots on several fronts. The most favorable comparison for Wright is Mike Owenu. However, Dane Brugler doesn’t even have him rated as one of his top 10 Guards in this draft class.Shane Bowen Joining Mik Vrabel’s Coaching StaffI predicted this months ago. Bowen was the former Defensive Coordinator under Vrabel in Tennessee. His title will be Defensive Analyst. This was reported by Mark Daniels of MassLive and Ian Rappaport of NFL Network and NFL.com. Vrabel first met Bowen when he was a Graduate Assistant at Ohio State in 2012. They joined up again with the Houston Texans, and then Vrabel hired him as Defensive Coordinator when he was named Head Coach in Tennessee. Bowen was Defensive Coordinator for the NY Giants the last two years, but was swept out when Brian Daboll was canned. Another seasoned veteran coach with DC experience.Controversial Photos of Mike Vrabel and Diana Russini Where there is smoke, there is fire. Diana Russini is a National Football Reporter for the New York Times. The Times has reportedly “sidelined” Russini pending their internal investigation into her relationship with the Patriots’ head coach. Even if it is a coincidental meeting, it is not a good look for either of them.Albert Breer of SI.com theorizes that Mike Vrabel was followed by a private investigator, and he was the intended target, and that Diana Russini was the unintended victim.Patriots Bring in Kansas QB Jalon Daniels for a 30 Visit I don’t understand the Patriots’ interest in Daniels. He stands barely 6’1”, 219 pounds, and has excellent speed for a QB at 4.66. However, he is erratic and injury-prone. I do expect the Patriots to draft a QB on Day Three of the draft and probably sign another as an UDFA to have competition for the 3rd QB spot on the team.
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About Mark MorseMerrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob “Harpo” Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.View all posts by Mark Morse
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