When Eliot Wolf began his 2026 NFL Draft prep, rather than looking at the New England Patriots’ biggest needs, he started by crossing off the positions where the team is pretty well set.

“Because there’s a lot less of that when you look at it that way,” the Patriots’ executive vice president of player personnel said earlier this month.

After that process, it’s pretty clear what the top needs are for Wolf and the Patriots in the draft, which begins Thursday night. Edge rusher and offensive tackle are two of the biggest needs, followed closely by tight end and nose tackle.

After months of buildup, the main event is finally here. After chatting with team and league sources about the Patriots’ draft plans since the scouting combine in February, here’s what I’m hearing about their strategy and where things stand.

The most popular names

There are certainly a few wild-card scenarios, including drafting an offensive tackle in the first round. But three names keep coming up with league sources regarding whom the Patriots will take with the 31st pick: UCF’s Malachi Lawrence, Clemson’s T.J. Parker and Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell.

All three are edge rushers, which speaks to the team’s biggest need. Beyond that, though, the Patriots are looking for a specific type of edge rusher. They want a speedy player whose strength is getting after the passer. They might be willing to sacrifice run defense to improve the pass rush since they already have Dre’Mont Jones at the position and can lean on him during early downs.

What they’re missing is a quick edge rusher who’s capable of getting to the quarterback. And that’s likely going to change Thursday night.

A first-round wrinkle

Edge rusher remains the most likely outcome for the Patriots in the first round. But there is also the possibility, one that hasn’t been widely discussed in public, of using the No. 31 pick on a defensive tackle.

The idea sounds strange given their big investments in Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, but neither player is a true nose tackle. And the Patriots need one.

One dark horse name in the first round? Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, who was at the team’s facility for a pre-draft visit. So much of the focus this offseason has been on running the ball better offensively and stopping the run defensively, and McDonald would address the latter desire. If the Patriots miss out on the edge rusher they want, don’t be surprised if McDonald is the pick.

Boutte in an Eagles trade?

The assumption around the league remains that the Patriots will trade for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown in June. But something that happened this week shed some light on what that trade package might look like for Brown.

Almost every Patriots player attended the start of voluntary workouts this week, which included an opening message from coach Mike Vrabel. But just as Brown skipped the start of the Eagles’ offseason program this week, wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was absent from the start of the Patriots’ program. On the day players gathered for the first time to begin the 2026 season, Boutte posted a picture on Instagram from a beach in Florida.

In a potential Brown trade to the Patriots, the Eagles would almost certainly want a wide receiver in return. Based on ability and contract situations, that leaves three options: Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas and Boutte.

Douglas’ production fell off in a big way last season. Hollins is 32 and lacks big-play ability. But Boutte was one of the best deep-threat receivers in the NFL last year and is entering his age-24 season. He’s the kind of player the Eagles would likely want back in a trade that moves one of the league’s top wideouts.

So here’s a potential trade package that has been floated by league sources for June: Brown for Boutte and a future second-round pick, potentially with conditions that could turn the pick into a first-rounder if Brown hits certain performance metrics.

How early for a TE?

The Patriots are expected to pick a tight end who specializes in receiving. The only remaining question is how early they’ll do it. That’s because this is a deep draft class for the position.

Will they wait until the third or fourth round because they’re confident they can get one then? Or will they simply target the best receiving tight end they’re in position to take, which could be Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers?

The guess is they’ll end up with a tight end and either a defensive tackle or offensive tackle with their two picks on Day 2 after selecting an edge rusher in the first round.

One possible surprise

The wild card in the Patriots’ draft plan is the interior of the offensive line. The team feels good about what it has at center, with Jared Wilson sliding to the position for his second NFL season and Ben Brown backing him up. And this Patriots regime likes its starting O-line.

Because of that, it seems unlikely the Patriots would draft a guard with a top-75 pick. But the idea was floated by a league source for two reasons.

The first is that new left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker has a lengthy injury history, and New England could use a high-end backup in case Vera-Tucker suffers another injury.

The second is for longer-term reasons. Right guard Mike Onwenu is entering the final season of his contract. So the Patriots could surprise teams by drafting a guard earlier than expected, using that player in 2026 as insurance behind Vera-Tucker, then as a starter in 2027 and beyond after Onwenu’s contract expires.

A potential trade

Only one team has more draft picks than the Patriots’ 11, which gives them the ammunition to trade up if they want to.

The most likely spot for a trade-up is in the third round. To move up, say, 10 spots in the second round, it would probably require both fourth-round picks and a fifth-round pick, based on draft value charts. But to move up 10 spots in the third round would likely only require a fourth-rounder.

So, as the Pats enter the draft with two picks in the fourth round and four in the sixth, look for them to be aggressive late on Day 2 or early on Day 3 to position themselves to move up for the player they want.

The plan on Day 3

The draft concludes Saturday with the fourth through seventh rounds. Expect the Patriots to approach it something like this:

They plan to pick a linebacker in the middle rounds, likely with one of their two fourth-round picks. They want depth behind Robert Spillane, and ideally, it would be someone who could contribute on special teams as well.

They would like to add a running back around the fifth round as a third option behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson. The only problem is that this isn’t a great draft class for running backs, so if they miss a run on the position, they could be out of luck.

They would like to add a big nose tackle who could eat up blocks and excel against the run. Some options include South Carolina’s Nick Barrett and Texas A&M’s Albert Regis.

Toward the end of the draft, they’re also likely to add a safety and a quarterback.