FOXBOROUGH — The New England Patriots are officially in “protect the franchise” mode. Following a deep Super Bowl run that ended just one win short of a ring, the front office has begun a calculated roster reshuffle. On Monday, the team released veteran backup Joshua Dobbs and signed tackle James Hudson III to a one-year deal. These moves aren’t flashy, but they signal a clear intent: New England will not let depth issues derail Drake Maye’s sophomore season.
Picking at No. 31, the Patriots aren’t looking for a roster-resetting superstar. They need functional, high-ceiling depth. Enter Markel Bell. Standing 6-foot-9 and weighing 346 pounds, Bell is quite literally a mountain on the edge. He finished the 2025 season with third-team All-ACC honors, allowing zero sacks in over 800 snaps for the Hurricanes. While his 5.36-second 40-yard dash at the combine won’t break any records, his 36-inch arms make him an absolute nightmare for speed rushers trying to turn the corner.
Currently, Will Campbell and Morgan Moses hold down the starting spots, but Moses isn’t a long-term fix. Bell offers the perfect developmental profile. He can spend 2026 learning the professional game behind Hudson and Moses before taking over the right side in 2027. The stadium air at Gillette feels different when you have a protector of this magnitude in the building.
Maye needs targets who can win when the play breaks down. Chris Bell is that guy. At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Bell played like a bully in 2025, hauling in 72 catches for 917 yards and six touchdowns. He earned first-team All-ACC honors not by outrunning defenders, but by outmuscling them. He is a chain-mover who excels in the red zone and on third downs.
Adding Bell to this offense gives the Patriots a reliable “X” receiver who doesn’t need to be the focal point to be effective. He is the kind of player who turns a 5-yard slant into a 15-yard gain through sheer force of will.
“We aren’t interested in collecting names. We want guys who fit the culture and keep the pocket clean for Drake. If you can’t win the line of scrimmage, you can’t win in January.”
— Mike Vrabel, Head Coach, New England Patriots
The Patriots’ defense relies on a heavy rotation to stay fresh over a 17-game grind. Rayshaun Benny, a 6-foot-4, 305-pound graduate from Michigan, is the blue-collar solution for the interior. Benny won a national title with the Wolverines and finished 2025 as a third-team All-Big Ten selection. He recorded 35 tackles and 1.5 sacks, but his value is found in the “dirty work.”
Benny is disciplined in his gap and rarely gets pushed back in one-on-one situations. For a team picking at the end of the first round, snagging a player with 54 games of high-level collegiate experience is a steal. He won’t lead the league in sacks, but he will keep the linebackers clean and ensure the run defense remains a top-five unit.
New England is currently slated to pick 31st, a position that usually dictates a “best player available” approach. However, the recent release of Dobbs and the addition of Hudson suggest the Patriots are prioritizing the trenches. If they can land two of these three sleepers in the middle rounds, they secure the infrastructure needed to return to the Super Bowl in 2027. Watch for the team to possibly move back from 31 to accumulate more Day 2 capital, where the value for players like Markel Bell and Rayshaun Benny is highest.
