Projecting the Patriots 53-Man Roster After the Draft - Position by Position
We are a long ways away from the New England Patriots making any drastic roster moves ahead of the 2026 season.
Why not make some decisions for them?
I know it's early in the offseason, but it's already looking like most of the roster is set in stone. In seasons prior, there felt like plenty of question marks around the substance of the Patriots team. This year, after a run to the Super Bowl in February, there are less out-of-the-box decisions that need to be made in New England.
With more than four months until the Patriots are required to whittle down their roster to just 53 players, here's an initial post-draft roster predictions -- with 10 rookies making the squad, two of them undrafted signings.
QB: Drake Maye, Tommy DeVito, Behren Morton (3)
No surprises here. The only three quarterbacks on the roster, including the Texas Tech rookie in Morton, should remain the same for 2026. The NFL allowing a third quarterback to dress on gameday essentially promises Morton a roster spot this season.
RB: Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Jam Miller (3)
The top pairing of Stevenson and Henderson are set in stone, but there's a competition for the third spot on the depth chart. It comes down to Miller (one of New England's seventh rounders), Terrell Jennings, Lan Larison and Myles Montgomery. I'll give the edge to the Alabama rookie and roll the dice that Jennings can return on the practice squad for another season.
FB: Reggie Gilliam (1)
The Patriots went out and signed Gilliam in free agency away from the Buffalo Bills, and he's easily the favorite to win the job. He'll be competing with second-year Brock Lampe and converted tight end Jack Westover, who struggled at times last year at his new position.
WR: AJ Brown/Kayshon Boutte, Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Dixon (6)
A lot of how this room turns out are based on what appears to be a likely AJ Brown trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. For the sake of this thought experiment, I'll put either Brown or Boutte on the team. The rest of the group -- which includes replacing last year's UDFA Efton Chism with this year's Kyle Dixon -- remains fairly in tact. Other than Chism, the only returning player from last year to not be listed here is Jeremiah Webb as he enters his second season.
TE: Hunter Henry, Eli Raridon, Julian Hill (3)
Another position that feels set in stone right now. Henry, the second round rookie Raridon and the free agent signing Hill all fill important roles in New England's offense. They're also all upgrades over CJ Dippre and Tanner Arkin.
OL: Will Campbell, Morgan Moses, Caleb Lomu, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Mike Onwenu, Jared Wilson, Ben Brown, Dametrious Crownover, James Hudson, Marcus Bryant (10)
After New England drafted tackles Lomu and Crownover, that puts a microscope on some of the depth options on the roster. While most of the group is to be expected, the final roster along the offensive line will come down to Marcus Bryant, Caedan Wallace and James Hudson. Out of those three, I'm giving Wallace the axe after struggling to see the field during his first two seasons.
DT: Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Cory Durden, Leonard Taylor, Joshua Farmer (5)
A lot has been said about the depth of this group, and I'd expect several players (Eric Gregory, Jeremiah Pharms Jr.) to return on the practice squad. But Both Durden and Taylor should be able to parlay great 2025 seasons into a roster spot for next year. Same goes for Farmer, who missed the end of last season with an injury.
EDGE: Gabe Jacas, Dre'Mont Jones, Harold Landry, Elijah Ponder (4)
Jacas -- the second round pick -- should instantly become the Patriots' best pass rusher from the second he steps onto the field. Jones, a free agent signing, will play alongside him and excell against the run. While the group is far from being elite, an semi-injured Landry and young Ponder get the edge over Bradyn Swinson, rookie Quintayvious Hutchins and a veteran Jesse Luketa.
LB: Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, Namdi Obiazor, Khalil Jacobs (4)
Two rookies? That's what I got. Spillane and Elliss will return and lead the middle of the defense once again after shining last season. As for the backups, TCU rookie Obiazor has enough versatility in his game to earn a spot, while newly-signed undrafted free agent Jacobs has enough tackling prowess and special team skills to outplay KJ Britt, Amari Gainer and Chad Muma.
CB: Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones, Kindle Vildor, Marcellas Dial, Karon Prunty (6)
The top of this depth chart (Gonzalez, Davis, Jones) are locks. The rest are in the middle of a position battle. Do the Patriots go with the free agent in Vildor, or Dial, who's coming off a torn ACL? Does fifth round pick Prunty get the nod over Charles Woods, who stepped up at times last year? Lots of interesting options for New England here.
S: Kevin Byard, Craig Woodson, Mike Brown, Dell Pettus, Brenden Schooler (5)
The only rostered safety I don't have making the team is second-year John Saunders Jr. While most of this group will contribute in spurts and on special teams, this will be how the room likely shakes out. Woodson and Byard should be more than capable on the backend of a really strong secondary.
K: Andy Borregales (1)
After a productive rookie season, Borregales will remain the placekicker for 2026. Well liked on the team and in the community, the former Miami Hurricane is an ideal candidate to be the team's longterm kicker for the future.
P: Bryce Baringer (1)
You could have made the argument that the Patriots needed to draft a punter last weekend, and while they didn't, they did invite one to rookie minicamp (Indiana's Mitch McCarthy). Baringer should retain his position for the fourth-straight season.
LS: Julian Ashby (1)
The Patriots did sign converted edge rusher Niko Lalos for summer competition, but it would be shocking if Ashby -- last year's seventh round selection -- doesn't win the job.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/patriots/onsi as Projecting the Patriots 53-Man Roster After the Draft - Position by Position.
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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 9:00 AM.