Patriots Predicted To Draft 1,329-Yard Ohio State Pass Catcher To Help Drake Maye originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The 2026 NFL Draft will kick off on Thursday night with the first round, and while many are focused on what the Patriots will do with the 31st pick, there’s still plenty of excitement surrounding New England's turn on Friday during the second and third rounds.

New England currently has the No. 63 and No. 95 picks for Friday's draft, and Evan Lazar from Patriots.com predicted that the team will select Ohio State tight end Max Klare at No. 63.

"The Patriots have been on the hunt for the right tight end selection since the combine, when head coach Mike Vrabel declared it a "deep" class at the position," Lazer wrote on Tuesday. "Since then, Vrabel has echoed his desire to draft a tight end, while reports from ESPN's Mike Reiss have surfaced that pass-game coordinator/TEs coach Thomas Brown has also been scouting the class. New England selecting a day-two tight end feels inevitable, possibly from a cluster that includes Eli Stowers (Vandy), Oscar Delp (Georgia), Sam Roush (Stanford), and Klare."

Klare played four seasons of college football, spending his first three years at Purdue before transferring to Ohio State last season. In 14 games with the Buckeyes, he recorded 43 receptions for 448 yards and two touchdowns, bringing his career totals to 116 receptions for 1,329 receiving yards and six touchdowns over the course of 33 games.

The Patriots might pair Klare with Hunter Henry, and the two could form an impressive red-zone duo for Drake Maye.

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