B
New England Patriots
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Patriots and Stowers: B.
by pj_doucette ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 11 steals
· 0 reaches
The Patriots spent the weekend waiting on one name, and it fell: Eli Stowers, the No. 53 name on the board, in the 95th overall pick. A dependable weekend that grades out a B.
They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it. Wide receiver is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 31st pick they get a plug-and-play piece up front at a price that makes it sweeter. A clean fit for the roster.
Nice patience on Max Iheanachor, who had no business lasting to Round 2, Pick 31. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Eli Stowers in pick 95 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They robbed the room for Skyler Bell here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Somehow De'Zhaun Stribling was still sitting there in the 131st overall pick, and they pounced on premier wide receiver value. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Steal is underselling it; Charles Demmings at pick No. 171 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Tim Keenan III at the Round 6 slot is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Louis Moore in slot 198 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Taylen Green at the 202nd overall pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
The board fumbled Keagen Trost all the way to Round 6, Pick 31, and they scooped it up. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A tidy bit of business in the 247th pick, where Eli Heidenreich graded well above the range. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.