After back-to-back training camp practices with multiple catches and securing two red. zone touchdowns on Thursday, New England Patriots rookie tight end Eli Raridon is growing more comfortable at the NFL level.
“It’s going well,” Raridon said Thursday about his first training camp as a pro. “I’ve got a lot of great people in the tight end room to learn from. Hunter Henry’s been great to me. Just learning every day, trying to apply it on the field and just playing as hard as I can.”
New England’s third-round
draft choice this year hauled in his first score in Thursday’s practice on an open play-action bootleg pass from quarterback Drake Maye, waltzing into the end zone from about the 5-yard line. Raridon later caught another touchdown working with Tommy DeVito’s second-team offense.
Head coach Mike Vrabel spoke about having the younger athletes play fast and not worry about mistakes when asked about Raridon’s growth ahead of Monday’s practice. He explained that the coaching staff can correct mistakes, not coach someone to play faster.
“[It’s] helpful,” Raridon said of that coaching approach. “It’s a great mentality to have, and to win in this league you have to play fast. And as a young player, it’s hard not to be thinking about a lot of stuff out there … I think we can play fast and obviously play smart but not worry too much about making a mistake. As an offense starts to come together, it’s going to get easier.”
Raridon later added that things are slowing down for him, and although he’s not 100% acclimated to the offense, the summer is a “night-and-day difference” compared to his work in the spring sessions.
During the 22-year-old’s senior season at Notre Dame, he caught 32 receptions for 482 yards (15.1 yards per reception). However, after suffering two ACL tears on the same knee early in his collegiate career, Raridon finished with only 48 catches and just 18 starts for the Fighting Irish, leaving him with less playing experience than other prospects in his draft class.
“I think that it’s a learning curve for these guys,” Vrabel said about what he’s seen from the rookie class thus far. “I think that the spring is one thing. When you get to training camp, it’s something completely different … Eli’s learning and figuring this game out, and I think he can find a way to help us.”
The Notre Dame product credits his time learning the offense during spring practices with helping him apply elements more quickly, allowing him to play faster in training camp.
Early in the spring, free-agency signing Julian Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury, thinning out an already uncertain position group. The veteran was acquired to be a crucial blocker, and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf also saw potential for Hill in a hybrid role as a receiver.
“I think as a tight end room we all need to step up,” Raridon said about whether he feels he has to take on some of Hill’s responsibilities. “We all need to play our hardest and fill in that role that’s missing.”
When speaking on Caleb Lomu’s progression on Thursday, Vrabel said there are different blocking techniques the offensive tackle needs to learn because the play at the line of scrimmage is different in the NFL compared to the collegiate level.
Some of those aspects also apply to Raridon in his development as a blocker. His maturation in that area could be the key to unlocking a full-time role with Henry.
