B
New England Patriots
The Patriots let Elarms-Orr fall into their laps, and walked away with a B.
by pj_doucette ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 11 steals
· 0 reaches
The board owed the Patriots one, and it paid up: Kaleb Elarms-Orr, the No. 178 name on the board, sitting there at pick No. 247 like a gift left on the doorstep.
A whole weekend of picks and running back is somehow still a want. On the needs board they went 7 of 8, with edge rusher the one that mattered most.
They trusted the board more than the depth chart. Trading back for volume was the quiet throughline of their weekend.
A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.
Pick-by-Pick
They read the board right and Akheem Mesidor was the payoff at the Round 2 slot. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Value with a capital V on Gabe Jacas in the 63rd pick, a genuine coup. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A wide receiver of that caliber at No. 78 is the definition of value, full stop. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
The board fumbled Eli Stowers all the way to Round 3, Pick 31, and they scooped it up. A need, and now a little less of one.
A top-tier interior defensive lineman at a bargain, Christen Miller in slot 113, plain and simple. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They barely believed it either: Bryce Lance still on the board at the 125th overall pick. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
By-the-book stuff, Jude Bowry at pick 131 squarely in line with his ranking. It fills a real need, too.
Louis Moore in pick No. 171 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They robbed the room for Nate Boerkircher here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Domani Jackson in slot 198 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Taylen Green is a better player than the 202nd pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The roster fit checks out.
The board had Cole Payton higher than the Round 6 slot, and the quarterback fell to them anyway. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Kaleb Elarms-Orr at pick No. 247 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.