NE Eli Raridon
NFL player. Position: TE. Team: NE.
Quick Facts
- Position: TE
- Team: NE (New England Patriots)
- Draft: 2026, 95th overall (3rd round), Notre Dame
- College Stats (2025): 32 rec, 482 yards, 15.1 yd/catch, 66.7% contested catch rate
- Physical traits: Recovered from double ACL injuries (2021, 2022); 4.62 40-time, 81st percentile vertical, 88th percentile broad jump
2026 Outlook
Despite concerning injury history (torn right ACL twice in college, 2021 and 2022), Raridon tested well at combine and showed sound medicals heading into 2026 draft. Patriots medical team (Jim Whalen, Dr. Scott Martin, Mike Baum) cleared Raridon with "no real concerns" about the knee injury history, giving confidence he's ready for NFL workload. Third-round selection puts him immediately behind Hunter Henry with clear runway to early-career opportunity. He displays immediate juice with ball in hands, solid footwork in route breaks, and good body control to adjust to back shoulder throws. Raridon plays with tenacity in pass protection, sustaining blocks and driving defenders downfield. Already showing strong chemistry with QB Drake Maye at Patriots OTAs and pushing for first-team reps early in training camp. Following a strong Day 3 display, Raridon is functioning as the clear TE2 behind Hunter Henry. (per Patriots confident in Eli Raridon despite double ACL injury history and Patriots training camp Day 3 depth chart updates)
Post-minicamp re-grade (June 2026): Sports Illustrated profiled Raridon among its top-five re-graded TEs, noting he was "lost in a deep tight end class" but the Patriots correctly valued him at pick 95 (3rd round). "Local sources indicate Raridon was very impressive through offseason workouts, even catching passes from Drake Maye with the first-team offense," establishing him as an immediate TE2 behind 31-year-old Hunter Henry. The Patriots' pathway for Raridon is clear: he recovered from a "brutal injury" earlier in his college career to produce 482 yards and 15.1 yards per catch at Notre Dame in 2025, suggesting he has a "future pathway to him becoming the lead option in 2027" (per Two Months Later, These Five Tight Ends Rewrite 2026 NFL Draft Grades).
Dynasty evaluators project Raridon as immediate TE2 behind Henry with clear path to 2027 starter role. Hunter Henry is free agent after 2026 season, meaning the runway clears quickly for Raridon. Analysts view him as strong second-round value in rookie drafts if you can absorb short-term injury recovery risk. By 2027, he's positioned to become the team's unquestioned starter (per 10 Dynasty Rookie Draft Targets (2026 Fantasy Football)).
Fantasy In Frames post-draft analysis highlights Raridon as "frustratingly underappreciated" with one of the few true Y tight end profiles who can be utilized as both blocker and receiver. After recovering from a double ACL injury (torn same ACL twice in 2021 and 2022), he showed true downfield chops at Notre Dame. Josh McDaniels can finish developing Raridon, who can sit behind Hunter Henry (great receiver) and Julian Hill (great blocker) and learn from both. Henry's contract expires after 2026, clearing the way for Raridon to take his role and become Drake Maye's security blanket. He has impressive ball skills and ability to move larger defenders off the edge. At this draft position, he's going after pick 30 and could prove to be a steal (per 2026 Rookie Tight End Risers & Fallers After The NFL Draft | Fantasy In Frames - Fantasy In Frames).
July 2026 consensus: Ranked #6 in the 2026 rookie TE class (avoid redraft, stash dynasty), confirming his underrated prospect status despite the tight end class lacking early-season fantasy value (per 2026 Fantasy football: Rookie TE rankings - Vikings Wire).
Role / Depth Chart
Clear backup to Hunter Henry. Roundtable.io's pre-training-camp 53-man roster projection (July 9) confirmed that Raridon is "a virtual lock to make the roster," establishing him as the Patriots' primary TE2 behind veteran Hunter Henry. With Julian Hill sidelined due to season-ending injury, Raridon becomes the clear second tight end heading into 2026, providing immediate pathway to NFL snaps (per New England Patriots 53-Man Roster Projection: Pre-Training Camp 2026).
Injury Status
Appears healthy.
Recent News
- 2026-06-27 — 2026 Dynasty Rookie Post-Draft Update: Eli Raridon (2026 Dynasty Rookie Post-Draft Update: Eli Raridon)
- 2026-06-12 — Way-too-early Patriots roster projection after spring practices (Way-too-early Patriots roster projection after spring practices)
- 2026-06-18 — Patriots 2026 TE Preview: Hunter Henry Can Build Off Career Year (Patriots 2026 TE Preview: Hunter Henry Can Build Off Career Year)
- 2026-04-21 — 2026 NFL draft position rankings: Kiper, Miller, Reid, Yates (2026 NFL draft position rankings: Kiper, Miller, Reid, Yates)
- 2026-04-22 — 7-Round 2026 NFL Mock Draft: Browns, Jets, and Cowboys steal value early as WR and... (7-Round 2026 NFL Mock Draft: Browns, Jets, and Cowboys steal value early as WR and...)
- 2026-06-09 — 5 Most Likely Cap Casualties and Potential Landing Spots Amid NFL OTAs (5 Most Likely Cap Casualties and Potential Landing Spots Amid NFL OTAs)
- 2026-04-08 — 2026 Dynasty Rookie Rankings: Pre-NFL Draft Top 70 Big Board + Positional Rankings (2026 Dynasty Rookie Rankings: Pre-NFL Draft Top 70 Big Board + Positional Rankings)
- 2026-04-28 — Worst draft ever? 2026 fantasy football dynasty mock draft features few blue chips (Worst draft ever? 2026 fantasy football dynasty mock draft features few blue chips)
- 2026-06-01 — Kyed: Patriots upgrade Super Bowl hopes, risk future with A.J. Brown trade (Kyed: Patriots upgrade Super Bowl hopes, risk future with A.J. Brown trade)
- 2026-05-09 — Patriots rookie minicamp takeaways: QB, undrafted wide receiver stand out (Patriots rookie minicamp takeaways: QB, undrafted wide receiver stand out)