In the third round of this year’s NFL Draft, the New England Patriots went looking for another option at tight end. They ended up landing on Eli Raridon, who had previously been a star talent for Notre Dame.
In a draft where 17 different tight ends were selected in the first five rounds, the Patriots are hoping they found a diamond in Raridon. Certainly, there’s potential there, which his offensive coordinator at Notre Dame, Mike Denbrock, recently touched on.
“Eli has been conducting himself, for a long period of time, with the type of attitude and structure and understanding of living a professional life as anybody I’ve ever been around,” Denbrock told ESPN. “That’s going to pay big dividends going to the next step.”
Raridon first landed at Notre Dame in the Class of 2022 as a four-star recruit. There, he looked to join a long lineage of great Irish tight ends, which culminated in his senior season in 2025. He finished his senior campaign with 32 receptions for 482 yards.
“He just continued to get better and better and better. I think it’s something that’s been building and leads me to believe his best football is ahead of him, which is exciting,” Denbrock said.
“It was really his first opportunity to be the featured guy while he was here at Notre Dame. It was his time to kind of take on the responsibility of that room from a leadership standpoint. Then also from backing it up with an example of the way to play the game at the tight end position in the Notre Dame tradition.”
One key to the 2025 season that Denbrock noted was how Raridon became an outlet valve for first-time starting quarterback C.J. Carr. He explained Raridon, “really became kind of our young starting quarterback’s best friend as the season went along [because] he knew he was someone he could count on.” Obviously, that’s something the Patriots would like to see happen with Drake Maye as well.
Eli Raridon and the Patriots agreed to his rookie contract over the weekend of Rookie Minicamp. It’s a four-year rookie deal. So, he’ll have time to grow into that potential.
New England Patriots Tight End Eli Raridon has Been Limited by Injury Concerns
GettyEli Raridon playing with Notre Dame
There is a lot to like about Eli Raridon for the New England Patriots. With an excellent frame that he can still add weight to, Raridon succeeded as both a pass catcher and a blocker at Notre Dame.
Of course, he’s also not a sure-fire thing. Nobody is, but the concern around Raridon is that he has an extensive injury history, particularly as it relates to tearing his ACL.
The first time Raridon tore the ACL in his right knee was while he was in high school. After recovering from that and getting on the field as a freshman, he tore that same ACL again. That severely limited him early in his time at Notre Dame and directly contributed to why he was only a starter for his senior season.
It’s not inherent that Raridon is going to have those injury issues follow him to the NFL, but they’re also a legitimate concern. So, avoiding them is key to his development.
Eli Raridon Praised as Potential All-Pro Player for Patriots
GettyNew England Patriots draft pick Eli Raridon
There is a lot of excitement around Eli Raridon. That goes beyond his former coaches too. Media members and analysts, like CLNS Media’s Taylor Kyles, see it too.
“I think year 3 or 4,” Kyles said. “I could see him being a legitimate Pro Bowl quality player…I think at some point in his career he’s gonna be knocking on an All-Pro…What about his game would make you think he’s not?”
That’s obviously a top-end projection for the Raridon with the Patriots. Still, it’s hard not to dream about what that could look like.
Patriots Rookie TE Eli Raridon Praised by Former Coach for Potential in NFL