New England Patriots

Projected Cap Space: $37.7 million

Draft Picks: 11

• 1st (No. 31)
• 2nd (63)
• 3rd (No. 95)
• 4th (No. 125, CHI)
• 4th (No. 131)
• 5th (No. 169)
• 6th (No. 189, KC)
• 6th (No. 200, PIT)
• 6th (No. 207, SF)
• 6th (No. 210)
• 7th (No. 247)

Notable Free Agents: 

• OLB K’Lavon Chaisson
• S Jaylinn Hawkins
• TE Austin Hooper
• LB Jack Gibbens (RFA)
• DT Khyiris Tonga
• OT Vederian Lowe
• OT Thayer Munford

Top Three Needs

1 – Edge Rusher

The Patriots will have to consider the whole season’s body of work, not just the Super Bowl in which they fell short, when evaluating how to take that next step in 2026. By far the biggest weakness for New England was the pass rush. The Patriots tied for 22nd in sacks with just 35 and were 24th in pressure rate at 20.3 percent. They got Seahawks QB Sam Darnold to the ground just once in the Super Bowl. 

New England signed both its leading sack producers in free agency last year. Harold Landry led the team with 8.5 sacks and reunited with HC Mike Vrabel from their shared stint with the Titans. Chaisson was a pleasant surprise with 7.5 sacks on a bargain deal. The Patriots can afford to bring him back but overall they need more juice in this room. If Landry and Chaisson are your second and third-best edge rushers, that’s a better spot to be in for a Super Bowl hopeful. 

2 – Wide Receiver

A lack of big names in the pass catcher group didn’t stop Patriots QB Drake Maye from coming within a whisker of winning MVP in just his second season. But the lack of gamebreakers was one of the things Seattle exposed in a dominant defensive performance. The Patriots have a lot of depth, not necessarily many players who inspire fear in opposing defenses.

The whole room is slated to come back, including veteran WR Stefon Diggs, third-rounder Kyle Williams, TE Hunter Henry and others. Expect the Patriots to be opportunistic in adding a No. 1-caliber talent to the group, though. 

3 – Tackle

First-round LT Will Campbell had his worst game of the season on the biggest stage, unfortunately. It will leave a negative taste on a rookie year that — while far from perfect — was actually fairly strong relative to how most first-year tackles tend to perform. If he takes a step forward as the Patriots expect, he should become a solid starter. 

On the other side, though, the Patriots need to start thinking about a succession plan for veteran RT Morgan Moses. He has two more years under contract and was perfectly solid as a starter, but turns 35 this year. The added bonus for New England is that this gives them a chance to take a swing at insurance for Campbell on the left side, either by finding someone better or if it turns out Campbell’s best fit is at guard in the end. 

Another way the Patriots could try to improve the offensive line besides banking on improvement from young players like Campbell and third-round G Jared Wilson is going after a big-time guard or center in free agency. That would either allow them to upgrade on C Garrett Bradbury or to kick Wilson inside to center, which was a position he competed at for part of the summer. 

One Big Question

How much of this year’s unexpected success can the Patriots carry over? 

Despite the tough end to the season, there’s a lot from this past season for the Patriots to build off of going forward. After two years straight of just four wins, the Patriots had a betting line of 8.5 wins entering 2025, indicating modest expectations in Vrabel’s first year. Instead, New England blew those away and won 14 games. 

Sure, an easy schedule probably helped a little bit, but no one coasts all the way to the Super Bowl. The Patriots were a top-three offense and a top-five scoring defense. They hit just about every free agent signing out of the park, helping to radically raise the floor of the team in just one season. Maye made huge strides in just his second season, raising the ceiling. 

Behind the prowess of Vrabel and Maye, the Patriots are here to stay. Vrabel was generally seen as a quality coach during his time with the Titans, but this debut with the Patriots has pushed him into the conversation among the best in the sport. Maye has the kind of thrilling dual-threat skillset that can put him in the mix with some of the aliens playing the quarterback position in the league right now. 

It takes more than that to win a ring, though. The Patriots don’t even have to look outside their division with the rival Bills to see that having an elite quarterback isn’t a guarantee of reaching the highest level. They’ve got to keep building, adding talent on both defense and offense to reach the point where they’re not outclassed by teams like the Seahawks.