New England Patriots’ 2026 NFL Draft Criticized by NFL Executives
The New England Patriots entered the 2026 NFL Draft with a clear objective. Despite losing to the Seattle Seahawks in […]
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The New England Patriots entered the 2026 NFL Draft with a clear objective. Despite losing to the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl, New England prioritized its future more than win-now draft selections. It was a good draft for securing long-term needs; however, NFL executives were not impressed.
The Athletic’s Mike Sando interviewed several NFL executives after the 2026 Draft, and the Patriots were among the teams mentioned. While New England’s first-round pick Caleb Lomu has a lot of upside, the rest of the draft selections were underwhelming across the NFL. “I actually really like that tackle [Caleb Lomu at No.
28],” an NFL exec told The Athletic. “He’s a little soft, but I think he has a lot of upside. He’s really athletic.
We weren’t big on Gabe Jacas, the defensive end from Illinois. Other than that, nothing really stood out from them. ” Another NFL executive said, “More than half the draft happens on the last day, so that’s not the day to miss,” regarding Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel missing Day 3 to enter counseling with his family.