Developed in South Bend, drafted to Foxborough#GoIrish☘️ | #NFLDraft | @Patriots pic.twitter.com/6ZKPqlEYXE
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) April 25, 2026
Continuing the streak of Irish tight ends selected in the NFL Draft, Raridon was selected in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots with the 95th overall selection.
Luck of the Irish ☘️
Welcome to New England, @EliRaridon! pic.twitter.com/sf4uGojlHl
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) April 25, 2026
Raridon is now the 15th Irish player to be drafted by the Patriots. This marks the first time since 2007 that New England has selected a Notre Dame Football player when the Patriots selected Mike Richardson.
Raridon becomes the sixth Notre Dame tight end selected in the draft over the past eight years. He continues the streak of each primary Irish tight end since 2004 being drafted, beginning with Anthony Fasano.
Raridon finished his career with 623 yards on 48 receptions.
In his senior season as the starting Irish tight end, he totaled 32 catches for 482 yards. The Iowa native finished third on the team in receptions and receiving yards. The six foot seven tight end averaged 15.1 yards per catch. He had a break-out game against NC State inside Notre Dame Stadium where he recorded a career-high seven receptions and 109 yards against NC State. Raridon led the team with 97 receiving yards in the season opener at Miami.
Raridon also played a significant role in run blocking, a Notre Dame tight end trademark. The Irish finished the regular season ranked fifth nationally in scoring offense (41.8), fifth in team passing efficiency (168.61), 10th in passing yards per completion (14.11), 17th in passes had intercepted (6), 18th in total offense (458.5), 18th in third down conversion percentage (0.481), 18th in rushing offense (203.4) and 20th in completion percentage (0.672).
In 2024, He played in all 16 games for the Irish. Raridon started against Miami (Ohio), Navy, and Indiana. He had at least one reception in seven separate contests during the season. Against USC in the last game of the regular season, Raridon had a critical touchdown reception that helped the Irish to a CFP bid sealing victory.