Giardi: Patriots need an edge, and there are plenty who could make an impact in this year's draft t is a unique group to say the least. I don’t love it. But I do like it, and think if the Patriots play their cards right, they can get a player who will contribute this year.

Giardi: Patriots need an edge, and there are plenty who could make an impact in this year's draft

NFL Draft Preview: Patriots Keep One Eye On The Future At Cornerback When building through the draft, it isn't always about addressing immediate needs. Sometimes, organizations must have one eye on the future.

NFL Draft Preview: Patriots Keep One Eye On The Future At Cornerback

Bedard: Ranking the edge prospects that fit the Patriots, plus latest New England draft intel I prefer to take the Patriots' obvious positions of need — edge, offensive tackle, receiver and tight end, with a sprinkling of a few other positions like linebacker, guard and safety — look at some tape, and tell you the guys I think make sense for the Patriots and their schemes. So first up is edge, followed by some Patriots draft intel/thoughts as we get closer to the draft on Thursday.

Bedard: Ranking the edge prospects that fit the Patriots, plus latest New England draft intel

BSJ Live Coverage: Game 1 - Bruins at Sabres, 7:30 p.m. - Hagens will make playoff debut Boston (45-27-10) posted a 3-1-0 record in the club’s four regular-season games against Buffalo (50-23-9). Boston recorded two home victories with a 3-1 win on Oct. 11 and a 4-3 overtime win on Oct. 30, a 4-1 loss at Buffalo on Dec. 27, and a 4-3 overtime win at KeyBank Center on March 25.

BSJ Live Coverage: Game 1 - Bruins at Sabres, 7:30 p.m. - Hagens will make playoff debut

NFL Draft Preview: Linebacker climbs the list of draft needs for Patriots The Patriots are expected to invest in the linebacker spot during the draft and could even use multiple selections on the position.

NFL Draft Preview: Linebacker climbs the list of draft needs for Patriots

Giardi: NFL Notebook - Next step for the Patriots on deck; plus, Eagles GM has a story, and he's sticking to it "We've definitely increased our flexibility in terms of what exactly the needs – again, the needs on paper are just for this year, but yeah, I think we've improved.”

Giardi: NFL Notebook - Next step for the Patriots on deck; plus, Eagles GM has a story, and he's sticking to it

NFL Draft Preview: Patriots Seek To Solidify Trenches on Defense at tackle The roster construction for the New England Patriots will require the trenches to be talented, tough and deep, on both sides of the ball. It's one of the core principle values of head coach Mike Vrabel.

NFL Draft Preview: Patriots Seek To Solidify Trenches on Defense at tackle

NFL Draft Preview: Patriots To Explore Pass Rush Possibilities In 2025, the Patriots registered just 35 team sacks on defense; only six teams had fewer. Upon further examination, nearly half of all their sack production came from Harold Landry III (eight and a half sacks) and K'Lavon Chiasson (seven and a half sacks).

NFL Draft Preview: Patriots To Explore Pass Rush Possibilities

Giardi: Mike's Mock Draft, version 2.0 - Patriots trading up? It is time to unveil another 2026 Boston Sports Journal mock draft, version 2.0. We are just a little over a week away from day one of the three-day marathon.

Giardi: Mike's Mock Draft, version 2.0 - Patriots trading up?

NFL Draft: Patriots Cast Wide Net On Official '30 Visits' The game film ultimately remains the biggest aspect of scouting a player but the personality must also fit. Finding out the DNA makeup of a player goes a long way towards determining whether or not a player is a good fit for the franchise.

NFL Draft: Patriots Cast Wide Net On Official '30 Visits'

Giardi: Did Wolf reveal a key trait at a spot the Patriots need to address early in the draft? "We could complement our room with some speed. I think that's evident..."

Giardi: Did Wolf reveal a key trait at a spot the Patriots need to address early in the draft?

Bedard: Eliot Wolf gives Patriots pre-draft update ​FOXBOROUGH — Eliot Wolf conducted the Patriots' traditional pre-draft press conference on Monday. While there was no huge news out of it, there were several notable nuggets that help explain New England's draft process.

Bedard: Eliot Wolf gives Patriots pre-draft update

Giardi: Could Patriots add a big body on the defensive line? Plus, thinning of the herd at LB This class is heavy on run stuffers, and very few have shown they can actually rush the passer (though a couple have definite potential).

Giardi: Could Patriots add a big body on the defensive line? Plus, thinning of the herd at LB

NFL Draft Preview: Late Round Contingency Plans For Pats At Center? While the Patriots would appear to be set at center, adding to the depth and having multiple options is always beneficial.

NFL Draft Preview: Late Round Contingency Plans For Pats At Center?

NFL Draft Preview: Patriots On Guard For Draft Possibilities With 11 total draft selections, eight of which belong on Day 3, the Patriots will likely look to address this need during the middle-to-late rounds.

NFL Draft Preview: Patriots On Guard For Draft Possibilities

Giardi: NFL Notebook: Lot to like about Patriots' newest TE; plus, big man on the move? “I just knew working with him and seeing what was in his body, and seeing how he thought and was able to communicate with them, that it was just a matter of time.”

Giardi: NFL Notebook: Lot to like about Patriots' newest TE; plus, big man on the move?

NFL Draft Preview: New England In The Market For offensive tackle It is widely assumed that the organization will add an offensive tackle early and quite possibly with their first round selection at No.31 overall.

NFL Draft Preview: New England In The Market For offensive tackle

Hurley: Expectations should be higher for Patriots in 2026 If this commentary is obvious to you, or if I’m late to the party, then so be it. But hear me out.We should have higher expectations for the New England Patriots next season.

Hurley: Expectations should be higher for Patriots in 2026

BSJ Live Q&A: Bedard on Patriots post-league meetings as we wait for the draft - 4 p.m. Friday 04.10.26 We're hitting a little lull, and I'll start looking at the draft next week. But I'm sure you have questions. Just a warning: I'm not going to have much to say about the NY Post Mike Vrabel story, so I'd keep that to a minimum.

BSJ Live Q&A: Bedard on Patriots post-league meetings as we wait for the draft - 4 p.m. Friday 04.10.26

NFL Draft Preview: Patriots Poised To Add TE Depth The tight end position isn't an urgent need for the Patriots, but it should rank as a rather significant one. There are also very few tight end prospects that would warrant early-round consideration. Realistically, New England will likely consider a tight end as a starter with their 95th overall selection, or most certainly by round four, when they own the 125th and 131st overall picks.

NFL Draft Preview: Patriots Poised To Add TE Depth

NFL Draft Preview: Fullbacks En Vogue Again After a three-year hiatus, the New England Patriots saw the return of the fullback under head coach Mike Vrabel in 2025.

NFL Draft Preview: Fullbacks En Vogue Again

NFL Draft Preview: WR Depth Plays Well To Patriots Needs Much like downtown Pittsburgh, as they brace for the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots wideout corps has been under construction for much of the offseason.

NFL Draft Preview: WR Depth Plays Well To Patriots Needs

Giardi: Mike's Mock Draft (1.0) in full effect; Patriots take... It is time to unveil my first 2026 Boston Sports Journal mock draft (version 1.0 if you will). Several more will follow in alternate forms. For this one, I'm doing round one with no trades...

Giardi: Mike's Mock Draft (1.0) in full effect; Patriots take...

NFL Draft Preview: Running Backs Aplenty Should Patriots Pursue One Adding an additional back would intensify the competition for the number three running back spot and could help strengthen the bottom of the roster.

NFL Draft Preview: Running Backs Aplenty Should Patriots Pursue One

NFL Draft Preview: Patriots Could Seek Developmental Quarterback New England head coach Mike Vrabel was very candid about the possibility of adding a developmental arm at the NFL League Meetings in Phoenix, which makes sense due to the track record of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

NFL Draft Preview: Patriots Could Seek Developmental Quarterback

BSJ Live Q&A: Bedard on Patriots after the owners' meeting - 2 p.m. Friday 04.03.26 Robert Kraft, Mike Vrabel, and Eliot Wolf all spoke at the league meetings. And there was other information to glean there. Questions?

BSJ Live Q&A: Bedard on Patriots after the owners' meeting - 2 p.m. Friday 04.03.26

Giardi: Strong WR class could bolster a room Vrabel already likes "This year’s class doesn’t possess a show-stopping pass catcher. But don’t mistake that for this being a weak group. It’s deep..."

Giardi: Strong WR class could bolster a room Vrabel already likes

Giardi: Vrabel not backing down from a challenge (with good reason) "Championships will remain the goal. That will never change."

Giardi: Vrabel not backing down from a challenge (with good reason)

Bedard: Mike Vrabel's comments from the league meeting, and what they mean Mike Vrabel spoke with reporters about the state of the Patriots after free agency. Pretty straightforward, so I'm going to post the transcript and then get into our thoughts.

Bedard: Mike Vrabel's comments from the league meeting, and what they mean

Bedard: NFL Meetings Notebook - The Krafts engage, A.J. Brown update from Eliot Wolf, and more A bit of a smorgasborg this morning from the league meetings as Robert and Jonathan Kraft held an informal, off-the-record discussion with local media, Robert Kraft answered a few questions on the record, Eliot Wolf talked on Up & Adams, and the NFC coaches had their breakfast session with the media (the AFC coaches, including Mike Vrabel, will speak on Tuesday). The headlines:

Bedard: NFL Meetings Notebook - The Krafts engage, A.J. Brown update from Eliot Wolf, and more