As a four-star recruit out of Valley High School in Des Moines, Eli Raridon received multiple offers, including Iowa and Michigan. But the New England Patriots‘ new tight end picked Notre Dame over others. Across his four-year collegiate career, however, Raridon looked up to a tight end who ironically spent his college years at Iowa. We’re talking about the San Francisco 49ers‘ TE, George Kittle.

“I’ve looked up to George Kittle a lot… Love the way he blocks, love his mentality while playing the game. Obviously, he makes great plays in the passing game as well. He’s somebody whom I try to embody my game after,” Raridon said after the Patriots picked him in the third round of the 2026 NFL draft and No. 95.

Whether Raridon will build a career similar to Kittle in the NFL is a conversation for another day. What stands out at the moment, however, are the parallels between their profiles. Per his scouting report, Raridon’s biggest strength is his in-line blocking ability. It is described as dominant at the point of attack and effective in sustaining drives with leverage.

Kittle, on the other hand, is considered one of the most complete tight ends in the league. For a broader context, following the 2024 season, he posted a 70.8 run-blocking grade. It marked the fourth straight instance where Kittle achieved that mark at or above that grade.

Meanwhile, when it comes to the passing game, the gap is noticeable but has room for improvement as Raridon has yet to take a professional snap. The 22-year-old redshirted his freshman year for the Fighting Irish and had limited roles during his next two years. In his senior year, however, he saw a larger opportunity.

He finished the 2025 season with 32 receptions for 482 yards and no touchdowns. Those numbers are not elite, but his 15.1 yards per catch and 282 deep yards (led all the TEs in the country) did catch the attention of scouts.

Kittle, meanwhile, has built a resume of one of the best all-around tight ends in the league. A career spanning nearly a decade, Kittle has recorded 595 receptions for 8008 yards and 52 touchdowns, including four 1000+ yard seasons.

So while it’s clear that Raridon has modeled parts of his game after Kittle, the real question is whether the 22-year-old can translate those traits into a comparable NFL career.

Eli Raridon explains his explosiveness and versatility

The Patriots had already cleared their intention to draft Eli Raridon heading into the draft. New England met the 22-year-old at two all-star showcases and then hosted him for a pre-draft visit. Once they made his selection official, Raridon didn’t hesitate to explain why the fit makes sense.

“I feel like a good way to describe me is I’m versatile,” he said. “I can do both things in the passing and blocking game. I can make explosive plays with the ball in my hands and also dominate defenders in the run game as well.”

His remarks align with his 2025 performance and scouting report. The only caveat, however, is his injury history, including two torn ACLs. Still, executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf has indicated those concerns aren’t viewed as a major issue internally.

“Yeah, Jim Whalen (VP Sports Medicine) and Dr. Martin (Head Team Physician) and Mike Baum (Associate Head Athletic Trainer) and the whole crew signed off on it,” Wolf said. “And no real concerns. … They were able to examine him, not only at the combine, but also here.”

From here, the focus shifts to whether Raridon can translate that versatility to the NFL level, much like George Kittle.