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The first touchdown of the New England Patriots’ 2026 season went to one of the newest members of their offense. Rookie tight end Eli Raridon caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Drake Maye with 9:11 remaining in the second quarter of Wednesday night’s season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
It was Raridon’s first regular-season reception, his first NFL touchdown and the first touchdown scored by either team in the highly anticipated Super Bowl LX rematch. The scoring play finished a 10-play, 77-yard drive that consumed 5:37. Maye rolled to his left before finding the 6-foot-6 tight end open near the goal line.
A 34-yard defensive pass interference penalty against Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe on the previous play placed the ball at Seattle’s 2-yard line. New England immediately capitalized, using Raridon to take a 6-0 lead. So, who is the rookie who scored New England’s first touchdown of the season?
Who Is Patriots Tight End Eli Raridon?
Raridon is a 22-year-old tight end whom the Patriots selected out of Notre Dame with the 95th overall pick in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. The rookie wears No. 82 and was listed by the Patriots at 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds. His combination of size, speed and receiving ability made him an intriguing addition to an offense already featuring veteran tight end Hunter Henry.
— NFL (@NFL) September 10, 2026Raridon played 40 games with 18 starts during his Notre Dame career, finishing with 48 receptions for 623 yards and three touchdowns. His best collegiate season came in 2025, when he started all 12 games and recorded 32 catches for 482 yards.
Those statistics did not fully capture his potential. Raridon averaged 15.1 yards per reception during his final season, demonstrating the ability to create plays down the field instead of operating only as a traditional short-yardage tight end.
Raridon also tested well before the draft, running the 40-yard dash in 4.62 seconds and recording a 36-inch vertical jump. His journey to the NFL included significant adversity. Raridon tore the ACL in his right knee during his senior basketball season in high school and suffered another tear shortly after arriving at Notre Dame.
He was limited to five games as a freshman and spent much of the following season working his way back. Raridon eventually became Notre Dame’s top tight end and developed into one of the more complete players at his position in the 2026 draft class.
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Eli Raridon Continues Family’s Football Tradition
Football has long been part of the Raridon family.
His father, Scott Raridon, played offensive line and served as a long snapper at Notre Dame in the early 2000s. His grandfather, Scott Raridon Sr., played offensive line at Nebraska before the Philadelphia Eagles selected him in the sixth round of the 1984 NFL Draft.
Raridon also was an accomplished basketball player at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, earning second-team all-state honors as a power forward.
The Patriots believed that athletic background could help him become a dangerous target for Maye. According to his official Patriots biography, Raridon’s size, wingspan and ability to find open areas against zone coverage were among his most attractive qualities.
Those qualities appeared immediately on New England’s first touchdown of the season.
Raridon entered the night without an NFL catch. By the middle of the second quarter, his first reception had given the Patriots the lead over the defending Super Bowl champions.
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