The New England Patriots were looking to upgrade their tight end room this offseason. In the NFL Draft, that came in the form of selecting Eli Raridon. In free agency, the Patriots signed Julian Hill away from the Miami Dolphins.
Hill recently spoke about his new role with the Patriots. There, he emphasized that his goal is to win, regardless of what that means for his production.
“Man, I wanna win… A lot of people ask, ‘Man, how you go from [ups and downs] in Miami… now you get the opportunity in New England,'” Hill said. “Because I’m a guy — people talk about culture guys — I’m a guy, man, when you tell me to do something, that’s my focus and I’m gonna do it. So if they say we need you to catch 5 more passes this year, block this guy, whatever it is, man, I’m gonna do it. And I’ve got a hell of a vet in that room. Hunter Henry is a hell of a guy… At the end of the day, whatever they need from me, I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna work hard to do it.”
Julian Hill went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft after playing his college football at Campbell. He ended up signing with the Dolphins. He ended up making the roster and playing in 15 games as a rookie.
In three seasons with Miami, Hill played in 45 games and made 26 starts. During that time, he made 33 receptions for 288 yards, or 8.7 yards per reception. Hill ended up signing a three-year contract with the Patriots.
The New England Patriots Have Built the Tight End Room Around Hunter Henry
GettyNew England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry
Returning for his 11th season in the NFL is veteran tight end Hunter Henry. The expectation is that he’ll still be the starter at tight end for the New England Patriots. After all, the connection between Henry and QB Drake Maye has been excellent, going for 126 catches and 9 touchdowns in the last two seasons.
However, as he continues to age in the NFL, the Patriots are preparing for the future at the position. That, notably, included drafting Eli Raridon and signing Julian Hill. On top of that, Tanner Arkin and C.J. Dippre are also battling on the roster.
Raridon has become a particularly interesting prospect. CLNS Media’s Mike Kadlick and Taylor Kyles explained what makes him so exciting.
“It’s the blocking ability and the upside that he possesses, and can get better at that’s going to make him a true Y-tight end, TE1, early on in his NFL career…I think Raridon has a chance to be not only a starting tight end in the NFL, but as complete as a guy you’ll find coming out of college,” they said.
Eli Raridon Received Praise from His College Coach
GettyNew England Patriots draft pick Eli Raridon
Before Eli Raridon has had the chance to even play a game for the Patriots, he garnered some massive praise from his offensive coordinator at Notre Dame, Mike Denbrock.
“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 said. “That’s going to pay big dividends going to the next step.”
Between Henry, Hill, and now Raridon, the Patriots seem to have plenty of options at tight end. That should allow Josh McDaniels to play around with formations and the personnel on the field, giving all of those guys opportunities to be on the field.
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