Patriots Predicted To Trade First Round Pick To NFC North Team
Patriots Predicted To Trade First Round Pick To NFC North Team originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The New England Patriots have the 31st pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, but they could get aggressive and try to move up.
The Patriots have 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, which means they have ammo to move up if they want to. The team has a few positions they could use help in, and safety is one of them. The Patriots signed Kevin Byard, but he is on a one-year deal.
The team lost Jaylinn Hawkins as well, so adding a safety could be wise. Adding a safety now would mean they have someone ready to take over if Byard leaves next offseason. Behind Byard and Craig Woodson, the Patriots do not have any reliable safeties right now.
Fox Sports' Rob Rang predicted the Patriots would move up six spots in the first round, trading with the Chicago Bears, to draft Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. "The Patriots got an up-close look at Seahawks rising star Nick Emmanwori in the Super Bowl," wrote Rang on Saturday. "And given the talent the Pats already have at cornerback, one couldn’t blame general manager Eliot Wolf if he saw McNeil-Warren, who boasts comparable size and athleticism to Emmanwori, as capable of making a similar type of immediate impact on New England's defense.
The Pats have 11 draft picks in 2026, and they can be aggressive with them in hopes of returning to the Super Bowl. " Getting a player similar to Emmanwori would be a home run. Even if Byard and Woodson enter the season as the starters, McNeil-Warren is very talented and could quickly earn playing time.