Patriots Draft at 31: Late Night, Big Needs

0:00It's April 23rd. Welcome to NFL News today, powered by AI and ready for kickoff. Patriots fans, get ready for a late night on draft day. The New England team holds the number 31 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, kicking off Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern time. That means they'll be on the clock deep into the evening. ESPN's Mike Rice crunched the numbers and figures the paths hit the board right around 10-22 p.m. Eastern. The league sped things up this year, with just 8 minutes per first-round pick down from 10 last time so the whole round should wrap by 10, 30 p.m. Flashback to the last time they picked at 31, back in 2018. They grabbed running back Sony Michelle out of Georgia, and even though injuries cut his stay short, he boosted their run game and helped snag that. Sixth Super Bowl ring. No repeat on running backs this go around though. The biggest gaps are at edge rusher, offensive tackle, wide receiver, tight end, and inside the defensive line. With 11 picks across the three days, they've got plenty of shots

1:03to rebuild and turn things around this off season.