The New England Patriots showed some interest in several highly-regarded tight end prospects over the last few weeks and months, and Notre Dame’s Eli Raridon was at the forefront. The team had multiple contact points with him, from the Shrine Bowl to the Senior Bowl to a pre-draft.
All of those meetings gave the Patriots the confidence to invest the 95th selection in the third round of this year’s draft in the 22-year-old.
Measurements: 6’6 1/8”, 245 lbs, 32 3/4” arm length, 10 3/4” hand size, 4.62s 40-yard dash, 7.16s 3-cone drill, 4.38s short shuttle, 36” vertical jump, 10’3” broad jump, 20 bench press reps, 9.46 Relative Athletic Score
Career statistics: 40 games (18 starts) | 1,313 offensive snaps, 56 special teams snaps | 66 targets, 48 catches (72.7%), 623 receiving yards (13.0/catch), 3 TDs, 3 drops | 2 quarterback pressures surrendered (2 hurries) | 3 penalties (incl. 0 declined/offset)
A multi-sport athlete who also lettered in basketball at Valley High School in West Des Moines, IA, Raridon was a productive tight end on the football field. He received considerable interest as a four-star college recruit and even after tearing his ACL as a senior made his way to Notre Dame, the school he had been rooting for going back to his childhood days.
While his career with the Fighting Irish was disrupted by knee issues early on — he tore his ACL a second time as a freshman — Raridon earned a regular role on offense. In his four seasons in the program, he appeared in 40 games with 18 starts and hauled in 48 passers for 623 yards and three touchdowns. His most productive year came in 2025, when he became a full-time starter for the first time and set new career highs in receptions (48) and yards (623).
Pick: 3-95 | Consensus big board: No. 126 | Patriots meeting: Shrine Bowl + Senior Bowl + 30 visit
Strengths: Raridon is a well-built player with an NFL-caliber frame and massive 10 3/4-inch hands. He has some good straight line speed, which allows him to carry linebackers up the seam in coverage and also attack the field horizontally. He doesn’t necessarily shake defenders but creates subtle separation in his routes, and has also shown a willingness to fight for contested catches; he has good body control and concentration, and knows how to use his physique to shield off defenders. As a blocker, Raridon is willing to engage and keep his feet working through contact. He also has shown the ability to be used as a move blocker who identifies his targets well when climbing to the second level or shooting across the formation.
#Patriots fans, you landed one of the most complete tight ends in the 2026 NFL Draft in Eli Raridon.Haling from one of the best TE-developing programs in Nore Dame, he’s both a high-end blocker and receiver as a Y-Tight end. As a 6’6 tight end and a 98% athlete, he finished… pic.twitter.com/QiIzrGJ3lH
Weaknesses: A linear athlete, Raridon is a rigid mover in the open field and lacks elusiveness in his release and through his routes. His speed is of the build-up variety while his quickness is marginal, which allows defenders to lock onto him through his breaks. His hands are also not the quickest to snag passes. He has a hard time maintaining leverage as a blocker and is up-and-down blocking in space. He also lacks the stout base and overall power to move people as a pass protector or in the run game. Weighing only 245 lbs relative to his 6-foot-6 frame, he would benefit from adding more mass.
What will be his role? Joining a tight end group led by team captain Hunter Henry and free agency pickup Julian Hill, Raridon projects as a top-three option at the position who should be able to make an impact right out of the gate. After all, he is a true Y-tight end who has the versatile skillset to help the team as a receiver and a blocker. He is not an every-down player yet, but could be used in a variety of packages.
Does he have positional versatility? Raridon is a flexible player, who has experience lining up as an inline tight end as well as in the slot. He also was moved to the backfield on occasion and has a handful of snaps on his résumé moving out wide. He furthermore played some special teams in college, but Notre Dame decided not to give him too much exposure in the kicking game.
What is his growth potential? Even though he has NFL-caliber traits, Raridon has some work to do before reaching his full potential. His blocking in particular leaves some to be desired, partially because of his high-cut build. If he can get stronger and fill out his frame, he should be able to develop into a Hunter Henry-like player in New England: a true allrounder capable of contributing on all three downs.
Why the Patriots? After offensive tackle and defensive edge, the positions addressed in Rounds 1 and 2, respectively, tight end might have been the Patriots’ biggest question mark entering the draft. Raridon being brought in to complement Henry and Hill, two players with relatively narrow skillsets who are uncertain longterm projections, therefore makes plenty of sense.
What does it mean for the rest of the Patriots draft? The Patriots have checked another box, allowing them to focus on other areas of need further down the line. Tight end will likely not be part of the equation on Saturday; with currently five players signed at the spot, the depth chart looks solid overall.
What does it mean for the tight end depth chart? Speaking of the depth chart, Hunter Henry, Julian Hill and now Raridon are locks to make the roster. Barring incident or accident, this means that backups C.J. Dippre and Marshall Lang will likey be forced to compete for a practice squad spot.
One-sentence verdict: Even though he is far from a finished product, Raridon is one of the most complete tight ends in this year’s draft and a player who should find a role quickly upon arriving in New England.
For more information about Eli Raridon and the rest of this year’s class of prospects, please take a look at Adam’s 2026 NFL Draft Guide.
Also, what do you think about Raridon as a Patriots draft pick? Do you like him? What do you think is his ceiling in New England? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.