Nate Tice Says Patriots Roster Is Better Than Last Year’s Super Bowl Team — Weei
weei on the Patriots' 2026 NFL Draft moves centered on one blunt verdict: Nate Tice said this roster is “much better than the roster that went to the Super Bowl last year.” He paired that with a clean appraisal of New England’s offseason, saying, “They kinda did it right this off-season.”
The discussion came during a podcast-style breakdown with Matt Harmon, who said the Patriots “gave themselves a lot more flexibility on offense from a personnel package standpoint.” That is the practical takeaway for New England: the draft did not just add names, it widened how the offense can line up and how the roster can be built around those pieces.
Nate Tice on New England
Tice did not frame the Patriots as a team that merely improved around the edges. He said, “They addressed everything I wanted them to address.” He added, “They didn't overextend themselves in any way, shape, or form.”
That was the core of his argument for why New England’s 2026 draft belongs in a different tier from a routine class. He said he likes the corners the Patriots have, pointed to Craig Woodson as a good rookie from last year as a fourth-round pick, and said the team now has answers on the offensive line.
Craig Woodson and the line
Woodson’s role matters because Tice used him as part of the case that New England’s secondary already has pieces worth building around. Woodson entered last year as a fourth-rounder, and Tice treated that development as evidence that the Patriots are not starting from scratch in the back end.
He also singled out the offensive line, saying the Patriots now have answers there, and he said the Lomu pick gives the team versatility. That combination — a clearer line picture and a flexible addition — is what made him so strong on the roster overall.
Eli Rairden in third round
Tice also tied the draft class to a specific pick at tight end. He said Eli Rairden was his tight end 2A and noted that the Patriots got him in the third round. In a class discussion built around fit and construction, that is the kind of move that gives a team more lineup options without forcing it into one style.
The comparison point in the conversation was last year’s Super Bowl roster, and Tice went further than a generic compliment. He said, “this roster's pretty good, and I think I might be the only one saying, like it's ac- it's much better than the roster that went to the Super Bowl last year.” For New England, the message from the draft room was simple: the additions were not just sufficient, they changed the shape of what the Patriots can do on offense and defense.
