Hutchins, a 2026 seventh-round pick, is competing to carve out a reserve role in New England's edge rushing corps. He will have plenty of time to heal up in advance of June minicamp activities, though the details and severity of his injury remain undisclosed. A five-year contributor at Boston College, Hutchins wrapped up his senior year in 2025 with 35 total tackles, including 2.0 sacks, across 10 appearances.

Montgomery mostly played in a backup role through his first four seasons between Cincinnati and UCF before stepping up in his fifth year at the latter, rushing 143 times for 705 yards and four touchdowns and adding 17 receptions for 182 yards. The Patriots already have Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson established at the top of the depth chart, so Montgomery needs to contribute on special teams to earn a depth role.

Kibble was a consistent stud for Georgetown — an FCS school — over his final three seasons, ultimately capping off his career with 63 receptions for 1,002 yards and four touchdowns over 12 games his senior year. He'll need an outstanding offseason program to break into New England's deep receiver room.

Dorner spent three seasons at Division II Shepherd University before transferring to North Texas for his senior season. He didn't need much time to acclimate to the higher level, as he finished second on the team in receptions (56), yards (911) and touchdowns (eight) through 14 games. Dorner joins a deep receiver room, however, meaning he may need to prove himself on special teams.

DeGennaro spent five seasons between Maryland and Richmond before finally settling in at James Madison for the 2025 campaign. He finished with 28 receptions for 500 yards (second on the team) and five touchdowns (tied for first). DeGennaro's team-high 17.4 yards per reception was impressive, and he backed it up with a 4.40 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. The late breakout is obviously concerning, but he could find a spot on special teams with a strong offseason program and training camp.

Arkin's best college season was his fifth year at Illinois, when he caught 13 passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns across 13 games. He'll have a difficult time securing a spot on the 53-man roster, as the Patriots currently are carrying five tight ends, including Hunter Henry, Julian Hill and rookie third-round pick Eli Raridon.

Mike Reiss of ESPN previously reported that Maye said he received a pain-killing injection for his throwing shoulder before his team's loss to the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, a game in which the QB completed 27 of 43 passing attempts for 295 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Since then, Maye indicates that he's had "no problems at all" on that front while confirming that he didn't require an offseason procedure. As the coming campaign approaches, the Patriots return a number of the key skill players that Maye worked with in 2025, with free-agent addition Romeo Doubs representing a notable addition to a wide receiver corps that no longer includes Stefon Diggs. Additionally, there's plenty of speculation that A.J. Brown could be headed to New England (via a trade with Philadelphia) on or after June 1, and if that ends up being the case, Maye's 2026 fantasy prospects would be boosted by the addition of a true WR1.

That figure suggests the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder out of Culver-Stockton could push for a roster spot this summer, but Dixon will have plenty of competition to that end in New England's crowded WR corps, which may still add A.J. Brown via a trade. Graff suggests that Dixon could be developed into a backup for Mack Hollins (6-foot-4, 221 pounds), and if the rookie isn't included on the team's initial 53-man roster ahead of the 2026 season, a spot on New England's practice squad is possible.

New England's OTAs are scheduled to begin in late May, and Vera-Tucker looks like he'll be ready to participate. The offensive guard missed all of last season due to a torn triceps and has played in only 43 regular-season contests (out of a possible 85) across his five NFL campaigns. Vera-Tucker signed a three-year contract with New England in early March and is "highly motivated" to prove himself following his injury struggles, per Daniels.

As a result of the expected move, Gonzalez — who was a Pro Bowler last season — is in line to earn $18.1 million in 2027. Beyond that, it's still plausible that the 2023 third-rounder lands a lucrative extension from the Patriots down the road. Gonzalez is coming of a 2025 regular season in which he recorded a career-high 69 tackles and 10 defensed passes in 14 games while working as a starting cornerback opposite Carlton Davis.

Miller spent his entire four-year college career at Alabama, taking over a regular role on offense in 2024, resulting in 15 starts over the last two seasons. He possesses the size to handle the rigors of an NFL campaign at 5-foot-10, 209 pounds and does a good job with ball security (two fumbles in his college career) and falling forward on runs. On top of that, he put up an impressive 4.42 40-time at the NFL Combine. That said, he doesn't typically play as fast as his time and can struggle in pass blocking, hence his seventh-round selection. Miller will be tasked with etching out a role somewhere on the depth chart behind the two players locked in atop the running back room in Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.

Morton (6-foot-2, 218 pounds) struggled as a second- and third-year starter for Texas Tech in 2022 and 2023, and even in his otherwise improved fourth season he strained to move the ball (63.3 percent completed, 7.2 yards per attempt). The positive news is Morton really fixed his touchdown to turnover ratio in that fourth season, throwing 27 touchdowns to eight interceptions. Back to the bad news: Morton is decently athletic (4.89-second pro day 40) yet took enough sacks at the collegiate level that it's reasonable to suspect both that Morton is not a threat to run at the NFL level and that he's not even a candidate to manage pocket pressure especially well. Of course, the Patriots may only view Morton as a viable backup to Drake Maye, but even that might be a hasty expectation.

Obiazor spent the last four seasons of his six-year college career at TCU, and he posted at least 81 total tackles in each of his past three years from 2023 to 2025. He's a well-rounded player that profiles as the quintessential linebacker; a reliable tackler that pursues the ball with earnest. He figures to serve in a reserve role at inside linebacker behind Christian Elliss and Robert Spillane, but Obiazor's experience on punt coverage in college should help him see the field on special teams during his rookie season in the NFL.

Crownover (6-foot-7, 319 pounds) spent five years as a contributor at Texas A&M, and he started all 13 games in each of his final two seasons at right tackle. New England's first-round pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, Caleb Lomu, projects as the team's future starter at right tackle, with Will Campbell already solidified on the left side, meaning Crownover will compete with the likes of James Hudson, Marcus Bryant, Sebastian Gutierrez and Lorenz Metz for depth reps as a rookie.

Prunty (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) began his college career at Kansas and then spent three seasons with North Carolina AT&T before transferring to Wake Forest in 2025, where he was named to the All-ACC third team. It's something of a surprise to see Prunty come off the board this early, especially given that New England has a pair of entrenched starters at cornerback in Carlton Davis and Christian Gonzalez. As a rookie, Prunty will need to compete for depth opportunities with Kindle Vildor, Charles Woods, Kobee Minor and Marcellas Dial (ACL).

Raridon spent his entire four-year college career with Notre Dame, and he was able to overcome knee injuries in 2022 and 2023 to become a productive starter for the Fighting Irish. He put it all together in 2025 with 32 catches for 482 yards over 12 games, though he did not haul in a touchdown pass. Raridon showed steady improvement as a pass catcher over the course of his college career and has the athletic foundation (6-foot-6, 245 pounds) to establish himself as a large target in the passing game for Drake Maye, though the former will need to work on his blocking ability in order to earn consistent snaps on offense. Hunter Henry is New England's top option at tight end, but with Austin Hooper signing with the Falcons in March, Raridon has a chance to earn the TE2 job, with Julian Hill being his main competition.

New England traded up (with the Chargers) to select Jacas, and it's no surprise to see the team prioritize the pass rush after having lost K'Lavon Chaisson in free agency. Jacas was a four-year starter at Illinois, where he led the team in terms of both sacks and tackles for a loss in both 2024 and 2025. Veterans Harold Landry and Dre'Mont Jones are essentially locked into starting gigs, which positions Jacas to handle a rotational role as a rookie.

Lomu (6-foot-6, 313 pounds) went much later than his Utah teammate Spencer Fano (ninth overall to Cleveland), yet it was actually Lomu who was the left tackle on the Utah offensive line (Fano played the right side). Landing with New England likely means Lomu will need to move to the right side — Will Campbell is locked in on the left — and on the right side Lomu might need a little bit of development time, if only to add some weight. In the meantime Lomu's finesse game is already convincing — he's an excellent athlete (4.99-second 40, 32.5-inch vertical) and should fit in easily as a pass blocker.

It was merely a formality for the 26-year-old fullback. Westover has touched the ball just one time in 20 career regular-season games while logging 246 offensive snaps in that span.

Boutte has been mentioned in trade rumors as part of the fallout from the steady drumbeat of New England's interest in A.J. Brown, as well as the team's decision to ink Romeo Doubs to a four-year contract at the outset of free agency. A 2023 sixth-round pick, Boutte has compiled back-to-back seasons with over 500 receiving yards, and he posted an impressive 16.7 yards per catch (fifth in the NFL) in 2025.

Hudson was released by the Giants earlier this month and won't have to travel far to join his new team. The 26-year-old appeared in 11 regular-season games last season, making two starts, but has been a liability when pressed into starter snaps. Hudson will go into New England as a backup this offseason.

DeVito, who worked as New England's No. 3 signal-caller last season behind Dobbs and starter Drake Maye, signed a two-year deal to remain with the team earlier this month. Per Reiss, the base value of DeVito's new contract is $4.4 million and includes incentives that could increase its value to $7.4 million. Though the 27-year-old didn't see any regular-season action in 2025, he did log a total of eight starts during his two seasons (2023 and 2024) with the Giants. With Dobbs no longer in the mix, look for the Patriots to add QB depth as the offseason progresses, possibly via next month's draft.

Vildor, who entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick by the Bears, recorded 16 tackles and a pick in 12 regular-season games with the Buccaneers in 2025. In joining the Patriots, the 28-year-old will reunite with head coach Mike Vrabel, who Vildor worked with in 2023 while both were with the Titans. In his latest locale, the 5-foot-11, 189-pounder will offer cornerback depth and special teams experience.

Brown appeared in nine regular-season games for the Titans in 2025 and had two stints on injured reserve due to knee and ankle injuries. He served almost exclusively on special teams and logged three solo tackles for Tennessee last year. Brown's addition gives the Patriots added depth in the secondary and another contributor on special teams.

Hill fits with New England as a depth option and blocker behind starting tight end Hunter Henry, a role opened up by the departure of Austin Hooper to Atlanta. Regardless of the change of scenery, Hill's realistic realm of outcomes for 2026 likely doesn't include attaining fantasy relevance, as across 14 regular-season appearances with the Dolphins in 2025 he managed only 150 receiving yards (a career high). That said, at 6-foot-4, 251 pounds, Hill could emerge as an option for quarterback Drake Maye in the red zone.