The Patriots have 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the one that is drawing the most attention sits at No. 31. With Thursday night’s draft about to begin, the team’s need for a quick edge rusher has pushed that late first-round slot to the center of the conversation.
Eliot Wolf said earlier this month that he started his draft prep by crossing off the positions where the Patriots are “pretty well set,” then turning to the spots that still need help. That list includes edge rusher and offensive tackle, and Wolf also has tight end and nose tackle among the team’s biggest needs. The message is simple: the Patriots do not need to force a pick just because they own a first-rounder, but they do need players who can help quickly.
League sources have repeatedly pointed to UCF’s Malachi Lawrence, Clemson’s T.J. Parker and Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell as possible targets at No. 31. All three are edge rushers, which fits the way the Patriots are being described around the league: a team looking for speed off the edge and pressure on the quarterback more than a heavy run-stopping presence.
That framing matters because it suggests the Patriots may be willing to trade away some run defense if the payoff is a more dangerous pass rush. Dre’Mont Jones gives them a veteran option on early downs, and that could make it easier to chase a smaller, quicker edge player whose strength is getting after the passer. The same pick could still go to a defensive tackle, but the team has already made major investments in Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, even if neither is a true nose tackle. Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald also visited the Patriots’ facility for a pre-draft visit.
The draft picture is only part of the story. Around the league, the assumption is that the Patriots will trade for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown in June, and that chatter adds another layer to what the team might do over the next few weeks. Kayshon Boutte was absent from the start of the Patriots’ voluntary workouts this week, the same day players gathered for the first time to begin the 2026 season, and he posted a picture on Instagram from a beach in Florida. If the Patriots really are pursuing Brown, Philadelphia would almost certainly want a wide receiver back, and the text points to three possible return options based on ability and contract situations.
That leaves New England with a draft board shaped by immediate needs and a possible June trade that could change the roster again before the summer is over. For now, No. 31 looks less like a luxury and more like the place where the Patriots will decide how much pass rush they are willing to buy at the expense of everything else.
