With August approaching, that means we are almost back to football season. After falling just short in the Super Bowl last season, the New England Patriots are looking to prove last season wasn't a fluke. So far during training camp, rookie tight end Eli Raridon has been a bright spot for the Patriots.
New England selected Raridon in the third round of the 2026 NFL draft. Before he declared for the draft, Raridon played four years of college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. In his final year playing for Notre Dame, Raridon finished with 32 catches for 482 yards.
While that doesn't look great for a tight end, Notre Dame is a run-oriented offense, with Raridon finishing third in receiving yards (Jordan Faison led them in receiving yards with only 640). As the NFL season nears, Raridon is ready for his chance.
Eli Raridon is ready for his opportunity with the Patriots
Patriots fans saw a glimpse of Raridon at New England's rookie camp earlier this year. A couple of days into training camp, Raridon looks much improved from the last time we saw him.
Speaking with reporters today, Raridon discussed how "the game is starting to slow down for him" and how his "grasp of the offense is night and day when compared to the spring," per Patriots.com reporter Evan Lazar. In the offseason, New England saw some changes to the tight end room, so getting help from Raridon would be a win for them.
Last season, Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper served as the two primary tight ends for the Patriots. Henry is back and will be the Patriots' starting tight end, but Hooper departed for the Atlanta Falcons, leaving the Patriots without a backup tight end. New England's tight end room took another hit with CJ Dippre, who made the team as an undrafted free agent last year, being placed on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list.
While fans shouldn't expect Raridon to have a huge season, he very well could see the field frequently as New England likes to employ two-tight-end sets. This makes it more important for the Notre Dame product to continue to improve and learn the offense. Though the ratings in the game are meaningless indicators of actual football skill, Raridon should be better than his current 64 overall Madden rating (his 85 speed, though, should make him a fun user tight end).
Add us as a preferred source on Google