Episode Details

Patriots Draft Eli Raridon: A Vertical Threat to Boost Mismatches Downfield

The Patriots selected Notre Dame tight end Eli Raridon in the third round, adding a six-foot-six, two-hundred-forty-five-pound athlete with elite speed and hands. This draft saw a record number of tight ends go in the top one hundred picks, with nineteen total, the most since 2002. Raridon brings vertical stretch to pair with vets like Hunter Henry, who lacks downfield threat and blocking skills.

League-wide, offenses are going heavy with tight ends to counter lighter defenses, using two-plus tight ends over forty percent of snaps last year, the highest since 2014. Teams like the Rams led with thirty personnel, one back, one wideout, three tight ends on thirty percent of plays. Early picks like Nate Boerkircher and Marlin Klein went high as plus blockers with catch skills.

The Patriots ranked low in rushing efficiency from multi-tight end sets last season, only using them about thirty percent. Raridon adds a downfield threat Henry and blocker Julian Hill lack, fitting QB Drake Mayes love for deep digs, seams, and corners to big targets.

On film, Raridon averaged fifteen yards per catch with eight grabs over twenty yards, shining on overs, posts, and seams against zone. His nine-point-five-two relative athletic score, four-point-six-two forty, and ten-point-seven-five-inch hands make him a QB-friendly bucket catcher. Blocking-wise, he flashes grit on angles but needs mass to handle edges.

Raridon could ease in as a rookie seam-stretcher while bulking up, giving the Pats a fresh tight end pipeline before Henry fades, boosting mismatches downfield right away.

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