New England Patriots’ 6-Foot-6 Rookie Turning Heads at Training Camp

Eli Raridon entered training camp with an opening in front of him.

Four practices in, the New England Patriots rookie is beginning to make a serious push for it.

Taylor Kyles reported Tuesday that Raridon was “flashing as a receiver,” pointing to an impressive contested catch and another reception when the rookie settled between zones over the middle.

Both throws came from Tommy DeVito.

That was only part of Raridon’s best practice of camp.

Matt Dolloff of 98.5 The Sports Hub charted three receptions from DeVito during team drills, including an over-the-shoulder seam catch after Raridon created a half-step of separation.

Dolloff wrote that the third-round pick is “emerging as the No. 2” tight end.

Raridon was relatively quiet during minicamp, while New England lost Julian Hill to a season-ending injury that created an immediate opening behind Hunter Henry.

A developmental role no longer looks like the only practical track for the rookie.

Raridon Showing Traits Patriots Drafted Him For

New England selected Raridon with the No. 95 overall pick after one productive season at Notre Dame gave evaluators a glimpse of what his athletic profile could become.

The 6-foot-6, 245-pound tight end caught 32 passes for 482 yards in 2025, averaging 15.1 yards per reception.

Patriots.com noted before camp that Raridon ran a 4.62-second 40-yard dash and caught eight passes on throws of more than 20 air yards last season, the most among draft-eligible tight ends.

Those numbers help explain why New England was willing to bet on a player who had only 48 receptions during his college career and twice tore the ACL in his right knee before finally putting together a full breakout season.

The early part of his transition was uneven.

Raridon didn’t receive many first- or second-team repetitions during the spring, but his workload increased once training camp began.

Head coach Mike Vrabel offered a straightforward explanation Monday, saying the rookie had started playing faster within the offense.

“We can coach mistakes; we cannot coach you to play faster,” Vrabel said.

Raridon then backed up the praise Tuesday.

The contested catch, zone reception and seam grab showed three different ways he can threaten a defense.

For a player drafted largely because of his size, catch radius and vertical ability, the receiving flashes are beginning to look more consistent.

Patriots Have Immediate Reason to Expand Raridon’s Role

Henry remains firmly established as New England’s top tight end after catching 60 passes for a career-high 768 yards and seven touchdowns last season.

He ranked seventh among NFL tight ends in receiving yards and generated the second-most total EPA at the position, via Patriots.com.

What comes next is deciding the backup situation.

New England entered the offseason expecting Hill to handle a significant blocking role. His injury changed that plan, while Austin Hooper’s departure removed another player who occupied nearly half of the Patriots’ offensive snaps last season.

Patriots.com reported that New England used at least two tight ends on 29.6% of its offensive snaps in 2025. Even if that rate changes, the second tight end is much more than a fringe job.

Raridon now appears to have the inside track, but the next test arrives when the Patriots hold their first padded session Thursday.

That’s where Raridon’s blocking will become much easier to evaluate.

If he can hold up there, New England will certainly feel more comfortable with him as TE2 after today’s receiving performance.

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