There’s been plenty of talk about how Jeremiyah Love and Malachi Fields have performed early in fall training camp, but there’s another former Notre Dame player who is standing out. Eli Raridon has been playing well enough that some who cover the New England Patriots think he’s already moving up the depth chart.
According to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, Raridon caught three touchdowns during 7-on-7s on Friday and hauled in another pass during 11-on-11s. He’s regularly working as the Patriots’ No. 2 tight end behind Hunter Henry and looks like he could see the field on the regular in his rookie season.
It’s not just journalists who are impressed by the former Notre Dame star. Starting quarterback Drake Maye clearly likes what he’s seen from Eli Raridon so far.
“He’s a big dude, first off, that can run. I mean, that’s pretty cool, and he’s smart,” Maye said Friday. “He went to Notre Dame. And I know he’s another guy that, you know, half-ACC, half not, but we like to call ourselves smart in the ACC.”
Eli Raridon climbs Patriots depth chart after Notre Dame football breakout
Maye went to North Carolina and clearly still has conference loyalty. Of course it’s funny that Maye is calling the Irish part of the ACC, considering there are plenty of members of the conference who would say the exact opposite of Raridon’s old team.
“So, he understands positions. He understands how to play both positions at the tight end spot, and I think he’s making plays on the football. That’s what you want to see from a young guy, and he’s putting the work in.”
“That’s the biggest thing with a young rookie. You want to see him go out there and take a rep when he’s tired, and not kind of call for himself. And he’s doing all the things the right way, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he does throughout camp. And he’s been a great player for us and a great dude.”
Maye isn’t the only Pats quarterback who has been extremely impressed by the way Raridon carries himself. Backup QB Tomm DeVito couldn’t stop raving about what he’s seen from the former Notre Dame tight end.
“Have you seen him? That’s a big target. I bet you’d want to throw to him too,” DeVito said. “I mean, he’s big, he’s athletic, his confidence is growing. Trying to get more savvy with the offense, like as it’s going. But that comes with time and how many reps he gets.”
The most interesting aspect of all of this is that the Patriots had signed veteran tight end Julian Hill to give Raridon more of a learning curve and a gentler introduction into the NFL. Hill suffered a torn ACL earlier in the offseason and now holds the No. 2 TE job behind Hunter Henry.
Should Raridon continue to show what he can do, it would be quite the rookie story. The tight end struggled with two ACL injuries at Notre Dame but finally put it all together in 2025, catching 32 passes for 482 yards. Those numbers and his athletic ability led to New England making him a third round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Add us as a preferred source on Google