It’s no secret that the New England Patriots still face some significant challenges along their offensive line, and it sounds like we could see them attempt to address it in a big way in the coming weeks.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss hinted in his Sunday column that we may see the Patriots address the line with multiple prospects in this draft, writing, “Just as they have loaded up with OL coaches, it would hardly be a surprise if they double – or triple – dip in the draft along the offensive line.
That notion certainly makes sense. The biggest question right now simply seems to be whether or not they’ll go that route with the #4 overall pick.
The top tackle prospect, LSU’s Will Campbell, remains a player who seems to be the biggest question for a team that’s in dire need of a left tackle. The knock on him remains his arm length and whether or not his performance in college will translate over to the NFL level.
Head coach Mike Vrabel recently praised Campbell, noting that he played in an SEC conference that will soon see many of his peers playing in the NFL. At the same time, Eliot Wolf didn’t sound quite as certain when mentioning Campbell. In an exclusive interview with Wolf a couple of weeks ago, he told Michael Felger – when asked if Wolf saw Campbell “as a tackle, even with those arms?” – Wolf replied, “Tackle or guard. I think he can play either.” And he wasn’t overly emphatic about the ‘tackle’ part of the answer.
When pressed, Wolf still felt Campbell was a player they liked, but his reply seemed to leave the door open for them to look at other options.
“I think you go back to the film, and he’s blocking guys, and we like him as a player,” said Wolf. “So we’ll see what that means on draft day, if anything. But I do think he can play tackle.”
At the same time, there’s some context there. Two weeks ago, the thought process seemed to be that the Browns would be taking a quarterback with the second overall selection, giving New England a 50/50 shot at an impact player.
Instead, the landscape has changed. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ stock has started to drop, and the Browns instead have pivoted and recently signed Joe Flacco, which could see them take a blue-chip player at another position this year and then gamble on going after a QB next April.
Should that happen, the possibility of landing Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter appears to be off the table for the Patriots. But based on most reports, if the Browns go quarterback this year, it won’t be with the second overall pick.
Trading down is what most feel the Patriots should do, possibly giving themselves the option of adding more draft currency and addressing more needs. The only issue is that, unlike most years, there’s not enough quality talent high up the board to make that selection worth what it normally is.
The other complicated part of this is that if they switch gears and go “best available” regardless of need, they might still find themselves with the prospect of Vederian Lowe running it back at left tackle in 2025.
The remaining top prospects like Missouri’s Armand Membou, or Oregon’s Josh Conerly, all of them will be long gone when they find themselves back on the board with the 38th overall selection. Several mocks do have the Patriots taking Ohio State tackle Josh Simmons with that pick, with William and Mary’s Charles Grant and N.C. State’s Anthony Belton among other tackles who have been mocked in that round. Conerly’s name has been one that has popped up in round two, but he’s been mocked to be gone early in the round ahead of New England having a shot at him.
For now, a lot can still change, but it sounds like they may go to the well more than once to infuse some youth up front with the hope it pays off. Clearly, Drake Maye is the future of this franchise and they’ve got a lot invested in him. Investing in guys to protect him definitely feels like the right move, and the hope is that they find someone to anchor that left side.
Preferably, a player who is an improvement and prevents them from sending Lowe out there for 17 more games next season.
Support Us: Help Us Compete Against The Corporate Media Giants
We need your help. If you enjoy our content, please help us beat Google's Corporate algorithm by adding us as a preferred source on Google News.
Click the button below and check the box next to "PatsFans.com"
Add as a preferred source on Google News
Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
Media is talking on New Orleans (needy of a QB) trading down from pick #9 to #4 and the pats get a extra 2nd rounder for moving back to #9. However, Shedeur Sanders at 6’1.5″ and 216 lbs with a mediocre arm, is rated a 2nd rounder….so why would the Saints give up a high 1st and 2nd round pick for that guy? The Saints would wait till #9 and or possibly move back and get him in the middle of the 1st round. Not move up. I get it that he’s a QB but at this point, players aren’t… Read more »