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New England Patriots Way-Too-Early 53-man predictions: Patriots' draft reloads roster for a potential Super Bowl sequel
Now that the NFL Draft is over, it's all about focusing on figuring out the 53-man roster for the New England Patriots.
The New England Patriots are aiming to return to the Super Bowl and wash out the bad taste of last year’s bitter defeat. After a robust 2026 NFL Draft class, there stands to be some changes to the roster.
Who's in? Who's out? Here is how I'd project the 53-man roster moving forward.
Note: Players with a single asterisk (*) are 2026 draft picks and players with double asterisks (**) are 2026 undrafted free agents.
New England Patriots Way-Too-Early 53-man roster prediction
Quarterback (2)
IN: Drake Maye, Tommy DeVito
OUT: Behren Morton*
The skinny: No surprises here with the top two. Drake Maye should continue to play at an MVP level. I’m not sure if Morton will be rostered every week, and seems likely to be snuck through as a PS member to be the emergency quarterback on gamedays.
Running back (4)
IN: Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Jam Miller*, Reggie Gilliam (FB)
OUT: Lan Larison, Terrell Jennings, Elijah Mitchell, Myles Montgomery**, Brock Lampe
The skinny: The top two backs are locked in with Stevenson and Henderson. The selection of Jam Miller is a perfect complement, and he should lock up the RB3 job early on in the room. Reggie Gilliam’s ability to handle running back and tight end duties allows them to get flexible with the roster numbers.
Wide Receiver (7)
IN: Romeo Doubs, Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams, Mack Hollins, Pop Douglas, Efton Chism III, Kyle Dixon**
OUT: Jeremiah Webb, John Jiles, Nick DeGennaro**, Jimmy Kibble**, Cameron Dorner**
The skinny: I’m not entirely convinced this is how this room will look when the preseason begins (cough cough). However, with no additions in the draft, I’m pretty confident in everyone from last year keeping their jobs heading into this year. UDFA Kyle Dixon got a massive $252k deal in guarantees to sign, giving him pretty good odds of being a promising lock.
Tight End (4)
IN: Hunter Henry, Julian Hill, Eli Raridon*, Tanner Arkin**
OUT: Jack Westover, CJ Dippre, Marshall Lang,
The skinny: Head coach Mike Vrabel said the team wanted to get more multiple, and I believe. Henry is the obvious TE1, but I think Eli Raridon can be a contributor early on. Hill was brought in to improve their run blocking, and I think Arkin can make the roster for the same reasons. With Gilliam rotating into this room as well, it’s bully ball time in New England.
Offensive Line (9)
IN: Will Campbell, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jared Wilson, Mike Onwenu, Morgan Moses, Caleb Lomu*, Dametrious Crownover*, Ben Brown, Caedan Wallace
OUT: James Hudson III, Marcus Bryant, Lorenz Metz, Sebastian Gutierrez, JonDarius Morgan**, Jacob Rizy**, Mehki Butler, Andrew Rupcich
The skinny: The starting lineup should remain the same as it was heading into the draft, but the depth is dramatically improved. Caleb Lomu and Dametrious Crownover likely lock up the depth tackle spots, pushing Hudson and Bryant out. Ben Brown and Caedan Wallace are valuable swing linemen as well.
Defensive Tackle (6)
IN: Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer, Eric Gregory, Leonard Taylor III
OUT: Jeremiah Pharms Jr., David Blay Jr.**
The skinny: Surprisingly, the New England Patriots didn’t draft a single defensive tackle after being rumored to for months. This room should still be a strength of the team. However, they are banking on a lot of young talent in Farmer, Durden, and Taylor to take that next step.
Edge Rusher (5)
IN: Harold Landry, Dre’Mont Jones, Gabe Jacas, Elijah Ponder, Quintavyious Hutchins*
OUT: Bradyn Swinson, Jesse Luketa, Korey Foreman**
The skinny: Mike Vrabel has frequently rostered four edge rushers, but this room is too deep to do so this year in my opinion. The starting three is set with Landry, Jones, and Jacas. However, Elijah Ponder was a tremendous rookie on special teams. I think Hutchins’ draft capital might give him the edge over a disappointing rookie season from Bradyn Swinson.
Linebacker (4)
IN: Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, Namdi Obiazor*, K.J. Britt
OUT: Chad Muma, Otis Reese, Amari Gainer, Jordan Kwiatkowski**
The skinny: Spillane and Elliss will be their starting linebackers, to no surprise. However, don’t be shocked if Obiazor carves out a strong role, especially on early downs. Britt is the special teams ace of the room, and that will be his ticket onto the roster over the field.
Cornerback (5)
IN: Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III, Marcus Jones, Karon Prunty*, Kindle Vildor
OUT: Charles Woods, Kobee Minor, Marcellas Dial Jr., Brandon Crossley, Kenneth Harris**, Channing Canada**
The skinny: New England had their starting trio set heading into the draft, while Vildor adds inside-outside ability. The addition of Prunty likely rounds out the room, keeping out the field.
Safety (4)
IN: Kevin Byard, Craig Woodson, Brendan Schooler, Dell Pettus
OUT: Mike Brown, John Saunders Jr.
The skinny: There was some speculation the Patriots could draft a safety this year. However, the team didn’t, locking up the same rotation as they had pre-draft. Byard and Woodson should be one of the best safety duos in the AFC. Meanwhile, Schooler and Pettus are valuable special teams assets.
Specialists (3)
IN: Julian Ashby (LS), Andy Borregales (K), Bryce Baringer (P)
OUT: Niko Lalos
The skinny: There weren’t any additions to compete at kicker or punter, locking in Borregales and Baringer. The battle between Ashby and Lalos could go into camp, but I have to imagine the draft capital and experience of Ashby would win out in the end.
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