The Patriots entered this offseason with a lot of needs to address.
One of the most significant ones to address was the premium position of left tackle.
After a few days of free agency signings, the team has addressed their needs on defense but neglected the offense for the most part.
In the NFL Draft, that could change.
In a recent mock draft on Fox Sports by David Helman, the Patriots aren’t able to choose a top prospect, such as Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter. That leads them to trade down from pick No. 4 to pick No. 6 with the Las Vegas Raiders and select Armand Membou.
Membou is a 21-year-old tackle prospect out of Missouri. He is an intriguing prospect after a huge jump in draft stock after the NFL Combine.
Membou showed off his incredible athleticism, which combined with great production and tape at an SEC school, and you’ve got an elite tackle prospect.
In the mock, Will Campbell goes one pick after the Jets, so it will be interesting in this scenario if the Patriots also decide to take Membou over Campbell.
Left tackle and wide receiver are arguably the top two needs for the Patriots at this point in the offseason, which means a trade down could also be for someone like Tetairoa McMillan.
The Patriots’ new coaching staff and front office have some tough decisions to make going forward, as any signings they make to improve the team could affect their draft strategy greatly.
The Raiders trade up in the mock draft to select Shedeur Sanders. Any team interested in Sanders after he falls past the New York Giants at pick No. 3 would make sense for a tradeLeft tackle and wide receiver are arguably the top two needs for the Patriots at this point in the offseason, which means a trade down could also be for someone like Tetairoa McMillan.
The Patriots’ new coaching staff and front office have some tough decisions to make going forward, as any signings they make to improve the team could affect their draft strategy greatly.
The Raiders trade up in the mock draft to select Shedeur Sanders. Any team interested in Sanders after he falls past the New York Giants at pick No. 3 would make sense for a trade up.
However, if nobody is interested in taking Sanders early, the Patriots may struggle to find a trade partner for the fourth pick. It is completely possible the Patriots will have to reach for a talent if they want to address a specific need rather than take the best player available.
Given tackle is one of the most important positions in football, especially for a franchise with a young star quarterback, the Patriots will look to aggressively fill that hole for the rest of the offseason.
Based on the remaining options already in the league, the draft seems like the best option for a long-term tackle. Whether that comes in the first round or later, and whether the team makes a trade or not to make it happen are the biggest question marks.
