Patriots Predicted To Add 21.5-Sack Edge Rusher In Draft To Upgrade Defense originally appeared on NESN.
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The 2026 NFL Draft is set to kick off from Pittsburgh on Thursday night, and the Patriots currently hold the 31st pick in the first round.
It’s still unclear which position the Patriots will target with that selection, but Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice and Charles McDonald mocked Clemson’s pass rusher T.J. Parker at No. 31.
“The run on offensive linemen (and wide receiver, really), on top of the whole A.J. Brown “thing,” has me thinking the Patriots look at adding the heavy-handed and hardworking Parker to their defense,” Tice wrote. “Parker might not be the high-end pass rusher the Patriots really want to add, but he would help give them a bunch of strong and powerful defenders who can stifle run games and push the pocket on quarterbacks.
“It might be too “hat on a hat,” but there really is something about the stone-fisted Parker with the other group of brawny Patriots defensive linemen that I like the more I think about it.”
Parker played three seasons at Clemson, recording 41.5 tackles for loss and 21.5 sacks over 39 games. However, this past season, Parker’s performance dropped, as he recorded only five sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss in 12 games, following a strong 2024 season in which he recorded 11 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss.
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