FOXBOROUGH — Eli Raridon is aware enough to see what’s been happening.
The rookie tight end, a third-round pick out of Notre Dame, knows the Patriots didn’t bring back veteran Austin Hooper, or find someone to replace free agent pickup Julian Hill, who’s sidelined with a season-ending knee injury. Raridon also knows that while some of his fellow rookies played a lot in the preseason, he spent much of that time on the sidelines with the veterans.
All of those elements, combined with his strong summer performance, have Raridon set up to be an important part of the offense.
“I feel really good about where I am,” said Raridon as he dressed for practice this week. “It’s been a good camp, and I’m excited to do what I can with the offense. It’s going to be a fun season.”
At Notre Dame, Raridon was never overwhelming statistically, working primarily as a Y (in-line) tight end and also spending time in the slot. Raridon wasn’t a volume pass-catcher in the way that some other tight end prospects this spring showed — he finished last season with 32 catches for 482 yards — but when he got his hands on the ball, he made it count, as his 15.1 yards per reception were second-best on the team among players with 10 or more catches.
The 6-foot-6-inch, 245-pounder also carved out a niche as a dependable target and steady blocker, aspects of his game that were on display this summer in 11-on-11 drills with the Patriots. The 95th choice in the draft spent plenty of time during training camp running with a reasonable facsimile of the starting offense, working as the second tight end (with veteran Hunter Henry) in the two-tight-end sets favored by offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
For a player who tore the ACL in his right knee twice in the nascent stages of his football career, Raridon flashed surprising athleticism, according to quarterback Drake Maye.
“He’s a big dude, first off, [who can run]. I mean, that’s pretty cool,” Maye said. “And he’s smart.
“I think he’s making plays on the football. That’s what you want to see from a young guy. And, he’s putting the work in. That’s the biggest thing with a young rookie. You want to see him go out there and take a rep when he is tired and not call for a sub. He’s doing all the things the right way.”
While Raridon did miss practice with a health issue late in camp, his absence from the final two preseason games spoke volumes about where the Patriots believe he is in his development. While most of the younger players had to grind out snaps in game action, the decision-makers didn’t necessarily need to see Raridon in live-action situations to see if he was NFL-ready.
While coach Mike Vrabel is preaching caution — “it could always be better,” Vrabel said when asked about Raridon’s adjustment to the NFL — it’s clear he believes the 22-year-old has the arrow pointed in the right direction.
“I think that he’s done some good things,” Vrabel said last month. “I think he’s learning. He rarely makes the same mistake twice. If we coach him on something or he didn’t like what he did on one day, he usually comes back the next day and does a decent job at it.
“You can see him consciously trying to do the things that we’re asking him to do, and I think we’re headed in a good direction. But [there’s a] long ways to go.”
The next challenge for Raridon will come Wednesday, when he figures to be one of a few rookies who will see significant snaps in the opener against the Seahawks. Vrabel knows there’s no way to prepare a first-year player for the energy of an opener, especially on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions.
“We try to get them as much as we can here and stress them as much as we possibly can in practice, and the noise and situations, but probably not,” Vrabel said. “I don’t know if there is a great way to be able to do that for their first game, and the experiences, and the emotions that they’re going to have. But it’ll also be something that they’ll never forget.”
Ultimately, if Raridon is able to meet that test in the same way he attacked his first training camp, it could represent the first sizable step on the road to a “fun” first season with the Patriots.
“I’m anticipating a super-crazy environment, with it being Opening Night and playing at Seattle,” said Raridon. “I expect it to be really hard in every aspect, and I’m just preparing to adapt to that environment and to the speed of play as best I can.
“But I’m really excited. It’ll be a really cool experience for me. I’m excited to grow and improve throughout the year, and really excited to finally be able to get out there and compete against another team.”
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social.