13 NFL Draft Prospects Who Are Perfect Patriots, Per Recent History originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New England Patriots are entering just their second offseason under the current regime of head coach Mike Vrabel, executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden.
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It’s safe to say things worked out well during their first go around…
Vrabel, Wolf and Cowden absolutely crushed their first draft together, hitting on nearly every single selection as the rookies were as big a part of going worst-to-first as anyone on the roster — but that trio has experience that stretches far beyond just last season.
I’ve gathered all the pertinent information of every single draft pick that has been made with significant input from the braintrust at One Patriot Place, averaging out the size, speed, strength and agility numbers to come up with not only the archetype of each position according to Vrabel, Wolf and Cowden, but the prospect that best fits ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Get it? Got it? Good!
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QB
The Patriots won’t exactly be in the market for someone who can replace Drake Maye, but that doesn’t mean they won’t bring someone in to compete for the backup job with Joshua Dobbs and Tommy DeVito — which is something this regime has done a few times in the past.
UConn’s Joe Fagnano will be available late, and possesses the sturdy frame and above-average athleticism of many of the draft picks we’ve seen out of this group of talent evaluators.
|
Player |
Height |
Weight |
Hand |
Arm |
40 |
Vertical |
Broad |
Short |
|
Joe Fagnano |
6′ 3 1/4″ |
226 lbs |
9 1/4″ |
31 3/8″ |
4.83 |
35″ |
118″ |
4.35 |
|
AVERAGE |
6′ 3″ |
221 lbs |
9 5/8″ |
32″ |
4.68 |
32″ |
116″ |
4.40 |
RB
If you’re looking for reserve running back options, there isn’t anyone better than this guy…
Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price made a name for himself by putting up insane numbers despite being stuck behind Jeremiah Love across 2023, 2024 and 2024 — and he was practically built in a lab for this exercise, as his numbers line up very well with that of the those running the organization’s average target.
|
Player |
Height |
Weight |
Hand |
Arm |
40 |
Vertical |
Broad |
Bench Press |
|
Jadarian Price |
5′ 10 5/8″ |
203 lbs |
9 5/8″ |
30 7/8″ |
4.49 |
35″ |
124″ |
21 |
|
AVERAGE |
5′ 10 5/8″ |
211 lbs |
9 1/2″ |
31 1/8″ |
4.50 |
38 1/2″ |
124″ |
21 |
WR
I don’t want to insult your intelligence by telling you that the averages make any sense at wide receiver — you simply cannot compare the likes of A.J. Brown and Kyle Williams.
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If you’re looking for an inside option, there is Alabama’s Germie Bernard. If you’re looking for an outside option, there’s USC’s Ja’Kobi Lane.
|
Player |
Height |
Weight |
Hand |
Arm |
40 |
Vertical |
Broad |
|
Germie Bernard |
6′ 1 1/4″ |
206 lbs |
9 7/8″ |
30 3/8″ |
4.48 |
32 1/2″ |
125″ |
|
Ja’Kobi Lane |
6′ 4″ |
200 lbs |
10 1/2″ |
32 5/8″ |
4.47 |
40″ |
129″ |
|
AVERAGE |
6′ 1″ |
203 lbs |
9 3/8″ |
31 1/2″ |
4.45 |
37″ |
125″ |
TE
New England needs to bring in some youth at tight end, and two options in the upcoming draft look like they might be of interest.
SMU’s Matthew Hibner and Texas’ Jack Endries tested well and have the necessary size to fit.
|
Player |
Height |
Weight |
Hand |
Arm |
40 |
Vertical |
Broad |
Bench Press |
|
Matthew Hibner |
6′ 4 1/4″ |
251 lbs |
9 3/8″ |
32 3/8″ |
4.57 |
37″ |
116″ |
28 |
|
Jack Endries |
6′ 4 5/8″ |
245 lbs |
9 5/8″ |
31 1/8″ |
4.62 |
36″ |
119″ |
— |
|
AVERAGE |
6′ 4 3/8″ |
246 lbs |
9 7/8″ |
32 1/2″ |
4.59 |
36″ |
120″ |
16 |
OT
It’s extremely difficult finding offensive lineman who aren’t complete physical anomalies — they’re kind of like snowflakes, no two are the same. I did my best with both offensive tackles and interior offensive lineman, though the players who showed up for this exercise aren’t exactly great fits.
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Ole Miss’ Diego Pounds will be a mid-round pick, and perfect for teams in need of versatility.
|
Player |
Height |
Weight |
Hand |
Arm |
40 |
Vertical |
Broad |
3-Cone |
|
Diego Pounds |
6′ 6″ |
325 lbs |
9 3/4″ |
33 3/4″ |
5.15 |
30″ |
112″ |
7.90 |
|
AVERAGE |
6′ 5 1/2″ |
317 lbs |
9 7/8″ |
33 3/4″ |
5.09 |
30″ |
110″ |
7.82 |
IOL
Kentucky’s Jager Burton is similar, as he started half of his games at left guard and the other half at center.
|
Player |
Height |
Weight |
Hand |
Arm |
40 |
Vertical |
Broad |
|
Jager Burton |
6′ 4″ |
312 lbs |
10 1/8″ |
32 1/2″ |
4.94 |
28″ |
111″ |
|
AVERAGE |
6′ 3 1/2″ |
308 lbs |
10 1/4″ |
33″ |
5.13 |
29 1/2″ |
109″ |
DT
The Patriots don’t necessarily need to add depth here, but seemingly every year teams take a swing at adding depth during the middle rounds.
Mizzou’s Chris McClellan is an annoyance on the interior, which is exactly what this organization is typically looking for.
|
Player |
Height |
Weight |
Hand |
Arm |
40 |
Vertical |
Broad |
Bench Press |
|
Chris McClellan |
6′ 4″ |
313 lbs |
11″ |
34″ |
5.05 |
29 1/2″ |
108″ |
25 |
|
AVERAGE |
6′ 3 7/8″ |
296 lbs |
10″ |
33 1/2″ |
5.04 |
29″ |
112″ |
25 |
EDGE
NO, THEY AREN’T GOING TO DRAFT ONE OF THE EIGHT BEST PLAYERS IN THE ENTIRE DRAFT! I BET THEY’D LIKE TO, THOUGH!
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Texas Tech’s David Bailey would be the perfect player to fulfill the organization’s pass-rush need, but he’ll be gone well before they ever step up to the podium.
|
Player |
Height |
Weight |
Hand |
Arm |
40 |
Vertical |
Broad |
|
David Bailey |
6′ 3 1/2″ |
251 lbs |
10 1/4″ |
33 3/4″ |
4.50 |
35″ |
129″ |
|
AVERAGE |
6′ 2 1/8″ |
251 lbs |
9 3/4″ |
32 7/8″ |
4.61 |
36″ |
122″ |
LB
Vrabel/Cowden haven’t had very much luck when it comes to drafting linebackers, so perhaps they switch things up this offseason?
Oklahoma’s Owen Heinecke is the closest thing to what they’re familiar with, however.
|
Player |
Height |
Weight |
Hand |
Arm |
40 |
Vertical |
Broad |
3-Cone |
|
Owen Heinecke |
6′ 1 1/2″ |
227 lbs |
9 3/4″ |
30 1/8″ |
4.62 |
34 1/2″ |
119″ |
7.15 |
|
AVERAGE |
6′ 7/8″ |
233 lbs |
9 5/8″ |
31 1/2″ |
4.66 |
34″ |
119″ |
7.14 |
CB
New England doesn’t need any help at cornerback…
Tennessee’s Colton Hood would be quite the addition, however, as his superb combine performance put him in line with those who make up the prototype at the position around these parts.
|
Player |
Height |
Weight |
Hand |
Arm |
40 |
Vertical |
Broad |
|
Colton Hood |
6′ |
193 lbs |
9″ |
31 3/8″ |
4.44 |
40 1/2″ |
125″ |
|
AVERAGE |
6′ 1/2″ |
192 lbs |
9 1/8″ |
31 3/4″ |
4.43 |
38″ |
127″ |
S
If there becomes a need to replace Jaylinn Hawkins, perhaps there becomes an increased focus to add at safety in the 2026 NFL Draft.
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USC’s Bishop Fitzgerald doesn’t just fit based on recent history, but can play in multiple roles and might just be what the doctor ordered anyway.
|
Player |
Height |
Weight |
Hand |
Arm |
40 |
Vertical |
Bench Press |
|
Bishop Fitzgerald |
5′ 11″ |
201 lbs |
9 1/2″ |
31 1/4″ |
4.55 |
33″ |
12 |
|
AVERAGE |
5′ 11 1/4″ |
198 lbs |
9 1/2″ |
31 1/4″ |
4.52 |
36 1/2″ |
13 |
If you’d like to see the individual numbers for each player that accounted for the averages, you can find them here.
I don’t exactly expect all of these players to be targeted in the coming months, but it is interesting to see who the numbers point to and how those players compare to other perceived fits at individual positions. The Patriots did draft from these lists in each of the last two offseasons (Kyle Williams in 2025, Javon Baker and Joe Milton in 2024), though those came with far less data considering each served as firsts under Jerod Mayo and Mike Vrabel. We will see how things play out this time…
