{"id":18922,"date":"2025-03-27T15:20:56","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T15:20:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=18922"},"modified":"2025-03-27T15:20:56","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T15:20:56","slug":"breaking-news-patriots-left-tackle-options-remain-complicated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=18922","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING NEWS : Patriots\u2019 left tackle options remain complicated"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Patriots'<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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New England has brought in a bona fide weapon in Stefon Diggs (assuming he\u2019s healthy), but another premium offensive position still demands attention: left tackle.<\/p>\n

The Patriots failed to find the right player to protect their quarterback\u2019s blind side last offseason. Now, with future franchise hopes pinned on Drake Maye, it\u2019s a more pressing concern than ever before \u2013 and the options for New England in 2025 look far from ideal.<\/p>\n

Option 1: First-round draft pick<\/strong><\/p>\n

In case you\u2019ve stayed away from the Great Arm Length Controversy around tackle prospect Will Campbell, here\u2019s the deal: Campbell, a 21-year-old LSU product, has been majorly dinged by mock drafters for his 32 5\/8-inch arm length, taken at the NFL Combine. NFL tackles tend to have measurements at 33 inches or more. But at an LSU pro day this week, he clocked in at a convenient 33 inches.<\/p>\n

Campbell is 6\u20196 and won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy \u2013 the top award for SEC linemen. There\u2019s no doubting his talent, just his positional fit.
\nThe Patriots\u2019 entire offensive line needs help, but with the 4th<\/sup> overall pick, they want a tackle rather than a guard.<\/p>\n

Missouri tackle Armand Membou is another prospect the Patriots could take in the first round, especially if they find a quarterback-needy team like the Jets as a trade partner, should a quarterback remain available at the 4-spot. Membou has the opposite issue of Campbell. He comes in rather short as a tackle at just 6\u20194 (I know, \u201cjust\u201d), but has a 33 \u00bd inch wingspan. He also played predominantly on the right side in college, an area of need the Patriots just checked off with Morgan Moses. However, NFL.com praised his \u201cvaried pass-set strategy and crafty hands\u201d as well as the \u201cunusual maturity\u201d in his game.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere in the first round, there doesn\u2019t appear to be a 2025 equivalent of Joe Alt. That\u2019s too bad. In a perfect world, the Patriots would be able to draft a blue chip left tackle a year after their quarterback, sign or trade for a receiver, and have a dramatically improved offense in Drake Maye\u2019s second season. This isn\u2019t a perfect world.<\/p>\n

Option 2: Day 2 draft pick and sign stopgap<\/strong><\/p>\n

Draft watchers were buzzing over Mike Vrabel\u2019s appearance a Boston College pro day earlier this week, where tackle Ozzy Trapilo ran drills in front of multiple Patriots front office members. Trapilo has great size at 6\u20198 and a 33-inch wingspan, but he still has some filling out to do in his frame and needs to improve his hand quickness and body control. His dad started as a guard for the New Orleans Saints, so he\u2019s got the game in his blood.<\/p>\n

Trapilo is projected by most to go in the third round. Other tackle prospects in the second round could be a great long-term fist for New England, and grow alongside Maye. But the big question is whether Day 2 guys could be starters this season, especially considering the NFL\u2019s limited padded practices in training camp compared to past eras. The Patriots have struggled to get freshly drafted guards up to speed, and left tackle is an even more premium position.<\/p>\n

It may make sense to sign a stopgap starter \u2013 even if it\u2019s a pricey, short-term investment. Jets left tackle Tyron Smith just turned 34 and remains a free agent. When he\u2019s on the field, he\u2019s terrific. It\u2019s the \u201cwhen\u201d that\u2019s the problem, and 14 years in the league doesn\u2019t make him more durable.
\nHe still may be worth it, to plan for now and later.<\/p>\n

Option 3: Day 2 draft pick and roll with Lowe or pray for a trade<\/strong><\/p>\n

As previously mentioned, New England could get the most bang for their buck on Day 2. Oregon tackle Josh Conerly Jr. is another project the Patriots could grab in the second round, but still leaves them vulnerable in Week 1.<\/p>\n

Would New England be open to developing someone like Conerly and starting Vederian Lowe? Lowe, 25, was put in a tough spot last season when Chukwuma Okorafor tapped out of the NFL after a dozen snaps. He\u2019s really not a starter, his play is lackluster and he racked up 13 penalties last year. The question is whether the Patriots feel he could be a stopgap, and how quickly a draft pick could develop.<\/p>\n

The final option is to work a trade for left tackle, but starters don\u2019t shake free often. The Washington Commanders were able to snag 30-year-old Laremy Tunsil from the Houston Texans in a shocking trade for four picks. New England has plenty of draft capital if any whispers about another trade option emerge \u2013 but that\u2019s not worth holding one\u2019s breath.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Patriots don\u2019t have an ideal solution for one of the premium positions on offense: protecting Drake Maye\u2019s blind side. Here are three ways New England could proceed in 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18923,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-england-patriots"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING NEWS : Patriots\u2019 left tackle options remain complicated - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=18922\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING NEWS : Patriots\u2019 left tackle options remain complicated - Breaking News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Patriots don\u2019t have an ideal solution for one of the premium positions on offense: protecting Drake Maye\u2019s blind side. 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