Julian Hill's 'Devastating' Injury Could Speed Up Eli Raridon's Patriots Rise

In describing the knee injury suffered by free-agent signee Julian Hill during voluntary organized team activities, New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel used the word “devastating.”

Yes, Hill, the tight end who signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the Patriots, was a key acquisition. But Vrabel and his personnel staff have another bullet to fire as they look to fill the “Austin Hooper” role at tight end, that is, No. 2 to Hunter Henry’s lead.

In the third round of the draft, New England selected what Vrabel hopes is his tight end of the future, Notre Dame’s Eli Raridon.

Rookie Eli Raridon hit the ground running

Through OTAs and the recent mini-camp, the 6-foot-7, 251-pound Raridon seems to have hit the field running.

“Eli is doing a good job. It’s a lot coming into the league, trying to blend in with older guys, younger guys, the pressure of it, obviously getting drafted,” said Henry, now a sage veteran at age 31 with 11 seasons in the league. “I’ve been through it myself, so he’s been a sponge, trying to soak up as much as he can in the room. He’s getting better day by day. I’m excited to continue to work with him.”

Henry has embraced the mentor’s role, potentially because of the immediacy of the situation. After catching 66 balls in two seasons with the Patriots, Hooper returned to the team he was drafted by in 2016, the Atlanta Falcons, leaving the No. 2 spot wide open.

In Hill's absence, the job is Raridon's to lose

There is no talk of any potential replacement from outside of Gillette Stadium. The door is ajar for Raridon.

“It was awesome, really good learning opportunities,” said Raridon of his chances with the big boys at mini-camp. “We have some really smart dudes in the offense. It’s been awesome this past month to learn from the vets like Hunter Henry and Drake Maye, to see what they have to say about reading defenses. I’ve done a lot of growth but there’s a lot more to do.

“Mentally, things are starting to slow down more than they were at the beginning. I have to work on a lot of things. Seeing guys like Hunter Henry, he’s a vet, he does things great, his details, techniques, fundamentals are on point. I have a long way to get there.”

A native of Mason City, Iowa, who caught 32 passes for 482 yards in 12 games without a TD for the 2025 Irish, Raridon is as down-to-earth as it gets.

He was asked at mini-camp if there was some kind of major purchase after picking up a “modest” $1.4 million signing bonus recently.

“I’m not really a big spender. I haven’t really spent any money. I’m driving my old car and plan on driving it till the wheels come off,” he said of his 2018 Nissan Altima sedan. “I’m not too flashy of a guy.”

Flashy no. Intelligent, for sure, and he knows that this time is as much about listening as it is performing.

“Coach (Josh) McDaniels uses the tight ends very effectively. His offense is something that is very complicated, but it’s also fun to be a part of,” said Raridon. “It feels like learning a different language. It’s really hard. You have to soak in a lot of knowledge really fast … We have a great staff and great players around here who make it easy.

“(Drake Maye is a) super smart guy. One thing about Drake, he talks to everyone on the team. He doesn’t leave anyone out. After practice, if he finds something you did that he thinks you can do better, he’ll find you. It’s just been awesome.”