As of today (2/10), who do you *want* the Pats to draft first?

[Lansdowne]

Teams DO NOT, DO NOT trade good starting LT's.

We absolutel need to sign a LT or two in free agency. We need a starter and a backup (hopefully a backup who can play RT).

Laremy Tunsil and Trent Williams were traded and have been considered among the elite LT’s at the position. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.

Agreed though in needing to sign someone because it’s much harder to bank on getting one by trade.

 

[tuckeverlasting]

here's hoping that hurts' mvp effort in the sb helps push sanders and ward to the very top of the draft because of the similar size speed savvy and arm strength of all three.

 

[dliverey44]

There are 5, maybe 6 starting left tackles in this draft, and you should be able to get any of them between 8-20. Campbell is the best of that bunch, but it's not exactly a huge drop-off from Campbell to say, Membou or Conerly.

And like I said, none of them are Joe Thomas. It's basically 6 Matt Lights. 10 year left tackles who are fine.

You are more optimistic in this class than I am. I feel like the best LT this year would have been the 6th OT last year. I hope they can bring in a big but at LT in FA and then grab 1 or 2 developmental OTs.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

You are more optimistic in this class than I am. I feel like the best LT this year would have been the 6th OT last year. I hope they can bring in a big but at LT in FA and then grab 1 or 2 developmental OTs.

I'm really torn on this, so let me just repeat something I said a few weeks ago, either here or on Reddit: a top-5 OL would be nice to have, but even league average would open up a hell of a lot for Maye.

 

[tuckeverlasting]

that all depends on how far you have to move and what the return is.

If the raiders at 8 want to jump the jets for one of the qbs? yes, you do it.

If a team in the 20's want to move up? no way no how am i making that deal.

ok ...4 for 6 and crosby then draft best of campbell or simmons or tet etc.

 

[signbabybrady]

In the first round. Matt Light comps in the first round. No one said anything about 2nd round, although a couple of them might very well drop to 36, and if Hunter's there at 4, I'm totally fine with taking Membou at 36.

That's a Tomlinson/Brees draft.

In 01 we drafted both Seymour and Light.

Don't get me wrong if we can pull a ten starter at LT that would obviously be a good thing. But picking 4 I am hoping we can do better than that.

If need be we should up from 38 to make sure we get one of those 5 or 6 guys you mentioned without using 4.

I've made it clear I want Hunter and I'd even trade up for him but if you're telling me we could come away with a Matt Light type OL and Carter or Graham instead I'm all for that.

 

[signbabybrady]

Teams DO NOT, DO NOT trade good starting LT's.

We absolutel need to sign a LT or two in free agency. We need a starter and a backup (hopefully a backup who can play RT).

I know it was the deadline last year but Cam Robinson just got traded. Tunsil was just traded a few years ago. Didn't we trade for Trent Brown? Maybe even twice.

I don't expect someone to trade us Tunsil but someone who has started and maybe has one year left that would give us something that allows us not to feel a need to have to reach for Campbell in the draft.

What about someone like Colton Miller who has one year left on his deal and has worked with Josh before?

 

[Triumph]

Copycat NFL.

Every team that wants to beat the Eagles is shopping for OL and specifically OTs.

Every team that wants to take out the Chiefs is shopping DL assuming that OL is good enough.

The Patriots need both OTs and DL.

 

[Pape]

I think part of the problem is that there is not a consensus on the #1 LT. Some say Campbell, but he might be a guard, some say if Simmons didn't get hurt he would be #1, and I have seen Conerly at #1 based on potential and some people think that Banks is #1 (I disagree with Banks as #1 so much).

The Josh Simmons decision will of course depend on his rehab/recovery from knee surgery. He is the best of the bunch imo.

 

[Pape]

Copycat NFL.

Every team that wants to beat the Eagles is shopping for OL and specifically OTs.

looking for a LT is not "copycat" football... Its football 101.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Tet. I think we 100% can be in play to get him and he's going to end up being a stud and N'Keal Harry is scaring fans away from him and then we will all watch him somewhere else while we have bad WR's next year asking why we didn't get this guy.

Carter and Hunter won't be there at 4. Between Graham and Tet, I think Tet makes more of a difference on this team.

Tet has 40% contested catch rate in college. He is going to struggle getting separation in the pro’s. I don’t want him.

 

[Pape]

Tet has 40% contested catch rate in college. He is going to struggle getting separation in the pro’s. I don’t want him.

another Harry?

 

[Triumph]

looking for a LT is not "copycat" football... Its football 101.

Copycat league in terms of the Eagles defensive gameplan.

The Chiefs looked like the Jaguars.

 

[lancerman]

another Harry?

No. Patriots fans are just scared and gun shy of him because of Harry. Harry needs to be looked at a guy who way underperformed in the league and was a bigger bust than any analysis had of him. Not because of his attributes going in, but just because he could not make the jump as a player.

In that same draft the whole world was picking apart Metcalf because his 3 cone speed was atrocious and nobody believed a guy who struggled making cuts could make the jump. Turns out he makes damn near every contested catch that was thrown his way.

People sometimes just bust because they don't have it in him. It's just as likely someone else drafts him and it becomes another story of "the Patriots know they need a WR and have for years but talked themselves out of it and then their fans are crying at yet another guy within their grasp balling out"

 

[lancerman]

I'm really torn on this, so let me just repeat something I said a few weeks ago, either here or on Reddit: a top-5 OL would be nice to have, but even league average would open up a hell of a lot for Maye.

The other piece to this puzzle is that we need more than an LT on the line. It's a unit, not a one man show. You're better off having 5 league average lineman than 1 stud LT and what we have now. Joe Thomas was the best in the league and we saw what happened in Cleveland. It would be great to get a LT. But right now the Patriots need live bodies instead of corpses on that unit.

Like if there's a stud left tackle that is reasonable to pick at the spot (not at 4 because all of those are reaches) fine get him, but don't chase someone out of desperation when all it will do is have teams focus their blitz on the other side and they will win doing that

 

[Pape]

If they take a LT just for the sake of taking a LT even if there isn’t a player worth it then they should fire this whole regime before they even make it to training camp. Reaching to full one specific need when the entire roster is garbage just to appease a fan base is what idiotic, **** for brain front offices do with top 5 picks.

a lot of the guys here are purposefully underrating the OT's in this draft...The "reach" if there is a "reach" at all, isn't as far as they are making out to be... Is it a bad move to go out and draft a guy like Abdul Carter? is it a sexier pick than a LT, no doubt about it... would love to have a guy that drops 10 sacks in a season... but thats a luxury pick...

The order of priority for the Patriots this year starts with Left Tackle / Offensive line. Why? Protecting Drake Maye is of paramount importance. He already had his bell rung twice last year...

 

[yukon cornelius]

I don't think it's that simple. There's no slam dunk LT at #4. Is the tackle available at #38 almost as good as the guy you'd take as an overdraft at #4? I think it's BPA this time around. There's too many holes.

agreed with the tackle assessment; but I prefer BPA with an eye towards edge or DL (even LB, but none are ranked high enough really)

I don't want them to reach for an OT or WR......reaching for need is a recipe for disaster

i'd be aok taking graham at 4, even if he's projected a few picks lower.......carter obviously, but he could be gone.......but Im not high on say a Tet at 4, which is likely 4-6 picks too high (or even more)

 

[Pape]

The other piece to this puzzle is that we need more than an LT on the line. It's a unit, not a one man show. You're better off having 5 league average lineman than 1 stud LT and what we have now. Joe Thomas was the best in the league and we saw what happened in Cleveland. It would be great to get a LT. But right now the Patriots need live bodies instead of corpses on that unit.

Like if there's a stud left tackle that is reasonable to pick at the spot (not at 4 because all of those are reaches) fine get him, but don't chase someone out of desperation when all it will do is have teams focus their blitz on the other side and they will win doing that

The line needs an anchor. Lowe was not able to anchor that line last year.

Add a LT that is an anchor, a line constituted of LT (simmons is my binkie) / Strange / Andrews / Onwenu / RT (? who, i dunno but we need one) and it shapes up to be a respectable line... 2026 you replace Andrews (with Strange? maybe) picking up either a Center or Guard... Unless Robinson shows progress over 2025, then you have a LG... Starting the process now is critical.

You want a stud on the DL? Spend cash - get Sweat.

 

[lancerman]

The line needs an anchor. Lowe was not able to anchor that line last year.

Add a LT that is an anchor, a line constituted of LT (simmons is my binkie) / Strange / Andrews / Onwenu / RT (? who, i dunno but we need one) and it shapes up to be a respectable line... 2026 you replace Andrews (with Strange? maybe) picking up either a Center or Guard... Unless Robinson shows progress over 2025, then you have a LG... Starting the process now is critical.

You want a stud on the DL? Spend cash - get Sweat.

You have to find that "LT that is an anchor".

Listen here's the reality, it isn't just "people here" purposefully underrating lineman. There's no draft board or analysis that has the top lineman anywhere near Carter as a prospect or Hunter or Graham for that matter.

And then once you get to the LT's it's like 4-5 guys who are all bunched together.

So yeah, if you want to trade down and get an extra pick somewhere to get one of those guys, fine. But if you are saying "nah just use the 4", that's pure insanity. That's the type of stuff that has agents questioning the current regimes competency and the media running stories about how the Patriots made one of the biggest draft reaches in history with a stud in their grasp.

 

[varjao]

One way to counter balance the fact that our OL is weak, is to make the opponent OL look weak as well with huge ammounts of pressure, that levels the game out and puts it in the hands of the QBs. And Maye has shown he can win games.

For that, I'm all in DT in draft and FA.

If Hunter is there, then I'm not against taking him, but I don't think he will, so Carter or Graham for me.