The 2026 NFL Draft is just 11 days away, and the New England Patriots hold the No. 31 overall pick in the first round. It’s a far cry from where they were picking last year at No. 4, when they took LSU OT Will Campbell. Such is life when you represent the AFC in the Super Bowl — and now New England will have to address their roster concerns from a less advantageous draft position.
Throughout the years of the Patriots’ dynasty, former New England director of football research Ernie Adams was Bill Belichick’s “right-hand man,” according to ESPN’s Mike Weiss. He spoke about what it’s like drafting at the end of the first round compared to the premium picks at the top of the draft.
Former New England Patriots Executive on Potential Draft Plans at No. 31
GettySANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 08: Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots runs off the field after a fumble against the Seattle Seahawks during the third quarter in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
“You have absolutely no way of knowing for sure who’s going to be there when you pick,” Adams told Reiss in an interview. “It’s impossible. You’re a couple picks away, but it’s like drafting at the top of the second round so you just have to be ready for whatever might happen. There are going to be 30 players taken ahead of you. Half of the players, everybody in the world knows they’re going to be taken. But there will be surprises after that. Somebody may take a player at 23, and you say, ‘Oh my, what happened there?’”
“Whoever you take [at the end of the first round] is going to be on your team, you’re married to it unless it’s a disaster,” Adams continued. “So we’re trying to answer the question, ‘Who has the best chance to help us win football games?’ Which comes down to best player there. You might say, ‘We need a linebacker in the worst way’ and there’s an okay linebacker but a big-time offensive lineman. Then when you draft him, what you have is an average linebacker and you just passed up a really good player. Two years from now, nobody is going to think, ‘Did they fill a need?’ They’ll say, ‘Wow, they got a really good player.’”
Former New England Patriots Executive on Avoiding Common Draft Pitfalls
“Don’t fall in love with players,” Adams said on how to avoid draft busts. “Part of this is you’re judging human beings and ‘How is this young man in college going to react to getting a big contract?’ It all comes down to being totally objective when you grade the player: ‘This is the player’s value in the National Football League.’ You have to get that right. The worst thing you can do is BS yourself because you might need something.”
“If there’s a player I really want and I call you and initiate the conversation, I’m going to be paying full retail because you’re in no rush to give the pick away to me, versus if there’s nobody there you want and you’re looking for extra picks and you call me,” Adams said on draft-day trades.
“So you can either initiate the trade or [it comes to you],” he continued. “You better know which side of it you’re on because it will affect the price you have to pay. This was one place where having some Wall Street experience as a trader [helped us with] the dynamic of what’s going on.”
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