2026 Draft: RT

mayoclinic said:

I agree that it is quite possible that all the top OTs and worthy EDGE prospects (I don't think there are many worth taking at 31) will be off the board. That leaves 2 options:

1. Take BPA at 31 regardless of position. Good players will slip through the cracks. Kayden McDonald is one example, who the Pats gave had in for a visit.

2. Trade back.

I would not reach just because OT and EDGE are major needs.

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DoubleDeluxe said:

Good players will rise and slip as we all know.
I think the best positional value for us that could slip is DT and LB. Now I say slip for LB because some mocks have Rodriguez steadily rising and now going in the first rd. Perhaps Hill or Allen are there. Some folks don't think that's a slip, but I have seen more than one evaluator think Hill is criminally underrated, maybe Vrabs feels the same.
If the OTs are gone and we can't find a trade partner, I would suspect we would be picking from LB, DT, Edge or Safety. Just don't see the value in any other position if we pick at 31. Maybe WR if Tyson slips or if Bell is highly rated by our staff. This of course hinges on what is happening with AJ.

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DoubleDeluxe said:

Good players will rise and slip as we all know.
I think the best positional value for us that could slip is DT and LB. Now I say slip for LB because some mocks have Rodriguez steadily rising and now going in the first rd. Perhaps Hill or Allen are there. Some folks don't think that's a slip, but I have seen more than one evaluator think Hill is criminally underrated, maybe Vrabs feels the same.
If the OTs are gone and we can't find a trade partner, I would suspect we would be picking from LB, DT, Edge or Safety. Just don't see the value in any other position if we pick at 31. Maybe WR if Tyson slips or if Bell is highly rated by our staff. This of course hinges on what is happening with AJ.

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One-If-By-Sea said:

It has been reported that the Pats are looking at OG Rutledge at #31.

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mayoclinic said:

So what would the Pats do with Mike Onwenu in 2026? Cut/trade?

If the OTs are gone, we could do worse than Rutledge at 31 or with a trade back. He would be a tonesetter, IMO. But unless Onwenu is moved, he doesn't have a clear spot.

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manxman2601 said:

Use him in the same way you would Iheanachor/Miller. Backup year one, starter year two. He might even beat out Onwenu in camp.

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Clonamery said:

I think Hill is a top 50 player, arrest me.

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Rdforty2 said:

Its a horrible waste of resources. Its highly doubtful Rutledge plays at an Onwenu level as a rookie. But if he does, then you've used your 1st round pick on a lateral move and left all the other needs there still.

Cap space is there. It's not like cutting or trading Onwenu is an avenue to finding more veteran possibilities.

Brown is also around to be the top IOL backup.

Rutledge is possibly the worst 1st round pick we could make, barring a massive reach of another player.

A guard in the 3rd or 4th, sure. Might even be able to justify it in the 2nd in certain circumstances(trade down perhaps from 31, add extra picks, then an unexpected fall of someone at 63, etc). But a guard only in Rd1 would be a terrible waste of resources.

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mayoclinic said:

So what would the Pats do with Mike Onwenu in 2026? Cut/trade?

If the OTs are gone, we could do worse than Rutledge at 31 or with a trade back. He would be a tonesetter, IMO. But unless Onwenu is moved, he doesn't have a clear spot.

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DoubleDeluxe said:

So many things in play that we might not consider that the front office most certainly does.
For example, perhaps the AJ trade is all but done. If that was the case, Rutledge to replace Owenu and to offset some of the cap hit of AJ is most definitely a possibility, especially if the front office believes Rutledge is a future stud.
It's not the pick I want them to make, but I can remember a lot of *****ing and moaning when we took Mankins at the end of the 1st, and that worked out pretty well.

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Rdforty2 said:

Mankins wasnt drafted with the possibility of sitting, or cutting the teams best OL to make room for him.

If the team didnt sign AVT, you could argue it makes sense.

With the clear and obvious needs elsewhere, or the potential need for a more valuable position(OT), it just doesnt make sense taking a guard in Rd1.

The team can acquire Brown and still make things work. They wouldnt need to cut their top OL from a year ago to make it happen.

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Rdforty2 said:

Its a horrible waste of resources. Its highly doubtful Rutledge plays at an Onwenu level as a rookie. But if he does, then you've used your 1st round pick on a lateral move and left all the other needs there still.

Cap space is there. It's not like cutting or trading Onwenu is an avenue to finding more veteran possibilities.

Brown is also around to be the top IOL backup.

Rutledge is possibly the worst 1st round pick we could make, barring a massive reach of another player.

A guard in the 3rd or 4th, sure. Might even be able to justify it in the 2nd in certain circumstances(trade down perhaps from 31, add extra picks, then an unexpected fall of someone at 63, etc). But a guard only in Rd1 would be a terrible waste of resources.

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mayoclinic said:

So what would the Pats do with Mike Onwenu in 2026? Cut/trade?

If the OTs are gone, we could do worse than Rutledge at 31 or with a trade back. He would be a tonesetter, IMO. But unless Onwenu is moved, he doesn't have a clear spot.

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manxman2601 said:

Travis Burke v Arkansas. Quincy Rhodes, a possible 2027 1st rounder is #97.

There was one loss to Rhodes on this film, but aside from that, burke stood up really well to SEC opposition.

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