The New England Patriots were one of the most active teams in the free agent market this offseason, adding loads of new defensive talent to their roster. New England signed defensive tackle Milton Williams from the Philadelphia Eagles fresh off a star-making performance in their Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
In addition to Williams, the Patriots signed former Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane, who is coming off consecutive seasons of 140+ tackles with the Raiders. The Patriots also added a veteran edge rusher in Harold Landry, who was coached by Mike Vrabel when they were both in Tennessee with the Titans.
And while the Patriots have a horde of new defensive talent, Joe DeLeone of PFSN projects New England to draft Georgia linebacker CJ Allen in his latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft.
"The New England Patriots historically have been anchored on defense by a cerebral inside linebacker," DeLeone writes. "To return to their level of consistent defensive dominance, they need to draft CJ Allen to hunt down every ball carrier who challenges him in the box."
Allen was one of the best linebackers in the nation in 2024. He registered 76 tackles, including three for loss. Over the last two seasons, Allen has a combined 117 tackles and six tackles for loss, as well as one interception.
If the Patriots take a linebacker in round one in 2026, that would likely mean that they didn't like the production they got from Spillane or Christian Elliss. It feels much more likely that New England would target a wide receiver. While they signed Stefon Diggs in free agency, the rest of the room around the veteran is unproven. Plus, he is on the other side of 30, and we don't know how much longer he can play at the level required for a No. 1 receiver.
