The New England Patriots saw untapped potential in Eli Raridon when they selected the tight end in the third round of this year’s NFL Draft. On Sunday, the rookie began to show why.
Raridon set career highs with five catches for 57 yards in the Patriots’ 45-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, offering an encouraging glimpse of what he can bring to Josh McDaniels’ offense.
“I think he’s talented,” head coach Mike Vrabel said. “I think he’s continuing to get more comfortable each and every day, that he sees what this league is about, maybe starts to have more confidence in himself that he can do this at this level and he can do it fairly well.”
The Patriots have wasted little time getting Raridon involved as a rookie. Despite missing time early with a thigh injury, he has played 50% of the team’s offensive snaps and found the end zone in his NFL debut.
And while the coaching staff has been pleasantly surprised by Raridon’s early work as a blocker, Sunday’s performance against Las Vegas truly showcased how he can make an impact as a pass catcher.
McDaniels got the rookie, who ran a 4.62-second 40-yard dash, on the move and into space, allowing him to showcase his explosiveness in the open field.
Raridon gained seven yards on a crossing route, picked up 13 yards on a slide concept and hauled in a 31-yard reception on a perfectly placed wheel route down the sideline from Drake Maye.
“I think it was good to see Eli work at the line of scrimmage, block a little bit, but then also be able to get out and do some things in the pass game and things that he’ll have to improve on. If you’re targeted five times as a tight end, you want five catches,” Vrabel said.
Raridon’s early involvement and fit in the offense have been encouraging signs to begin his rookie season. And it would be no surprise if the tight end slowly becomes more-and-more involved in the offense as the season progresses.
“I think when he knows what to do, and there’s a lot of different looks that he hasn’t seen, defenses and defensive fronts, but I think just continuing to improve and continuing to invest in these young players,” Vrabel said.
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