Patriots Draft Profile: Don’t Sleep On This Stud Prospect

The New England Patriots still need to find someone to protect Drake Maye, but after that, they could afford to make a couple of luxury picks.

Where?

It’s simple.

Hunter Henry has been great throughout his tenure with the franchise, serving as a reliable target for young quarterbacks like Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe and Drake Maye. Austin Hooper was great in his limited role last season and was brought back to solidify the position for at least one more season.

Josh McDaniels is back calling plays, though, which means there are a few changes that need to be made for him to successfully implement the system we all expect him to run next season. Henry, for instance, could use a younger, more athletic tight end to play alongside as he approaches the homestretch of his career.

---

OVERVIEW

Elijah Arroyo doesn’t have the same level of production as prospects like Penn State’s Tyler Warren or Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr., and likely won’t play an every-down role like LSU’s Mason Taylor and Texas’ Gunnar Helm, but he certainly has all the tools.

Miami took far too long to find his value, but when they did, it led to an explosive breakout campaign in which he tripled his career output in receptions (35) and yards (590), and found the end zone seven times.

It’ll make some uncomfortable that he struggled to find his footing for so long, but with this player, the value is in how he projects at the next level.

NFL SCOUTING COMBINE

Arroyo decided not to fully participate in the combine, but the lone test he did participate in helped answer the biggest question people had about him.

Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 250lbs
Hand: 10″
Arm: 33″

Bench Press: 22 reps

STRENGTHS

Arroyo is a finesse player, but he’s also fearless when attacking the middle of the field. Miami primarily deployed him from the slot on 51.6 percent of his snaps in 2024, per PFF, which gave him the freedom to attack leverage and manipulate defenders in zone coverage.

Wake Forest found out the hard way that you always want to keep someone in front of him.

Arroyo is in consideration to be selected on Day 2 because of his performance in the Senior Bowl, though. Can he only beat zone? Nope, showed that in one-on-one matchups. Is he going to contribute as a blocker? Yes, as many of us were proven wrong when he planted dudes in team drills. How high of a ceiling does he have? We can’t answer that fully, but it’s a lot higher than anyone other tight end who participated that week.

WEAKNESSES

Arroyo’s ceiling can’t be mentioned without turning attention to his floor.

It’s clear that nagging knee injuries from 2022 and 2023 hindered his ability to get going, both in the early portion of this past season and on each play. Arroyo isn’t the greatest accelerator on the planet, so run-after-catch is pretty middling compared to what you’d expect.

Can he eventually become a three-down player? Yes, but that’s in a perfect world.

HAROLD FANNIN JR. OR ELIJAH ARROYO?

We have been wrestling with this question for weeks, and the answer is pretty clear.

Fannin is much more polished and currently looks better with the ball in his hands, so when you’re projecting players for New England’s offense, it’s him.

McDaniels has an incredible ability to implement versatile tight ends, having done so with the likes of Aaron Hernandez, Martellus Bennett and Jonnu Smith to varying levels of success. Fannin could be the next in that line, and if he is, it wouldn’t take as many resources as it might for Arroyo.

If you’d like more individual profiles, check out the full series and follow @KeaganStiefel on X.