The Patriots have their right tackle position locked down with Morgan Moses on a three-year deal, despite his advanced age of 34 years old. After uninspiring performances in 2024 from Vederian Lowe and Caedan Wallace, the team still has questions at the left tackle position.
New head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t give up on Lowe and Wallace, claiming both players would get opportunities to win the job, but he noted that the 2025 NFL Draft would “be a good option” to address the position. Per Karen Guregian of Mass Live, Vrabel said that there are players “at a lot of different levels” that the team likes.
With the No. 4 overall pick, New England is going to have their pick of the litter after a presumed 1-2-3 of Cam Ward, Abdul Carter, and Travis Hunter. There’s a chance that Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders sneaks in there and allows Carter or Hunter to fall to the Patriots, but likely, those three will be off the board and New England will make the first unexpected pick of the draft.
They’ve been connected to players like Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker or Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, but if they decide to use that pick to address the left tackle situation, they reportedly view LSU’s Will Campbell as an option at No. 4 overall. Campbell drew early criticism in the pre-draft process for a lack of length with a below-average 32 5/8-inch arm measurement, but according to Field Yates of ESPN, scouts really don’t view Campbell’s arm length as an issue that could prevent him from becoming a really good left tackle in the NFL.
Here are a few more rumors out of New England concerning the subject:
- Despite watching rookie fourth-round guard Layden Robinson struggle as the team’s starting left guard for much of the 2024 season, the team won’t likely feel the need to address that position in the draft. After only playing in three games last year due to injury, Cole Strange is expected to enter the offseason as the team’s starter at the position, per Christopher Price of The Boston Globe. Strange showed major improvement in 2023 after a rough rookie campaign, but injuries have limited him to only 13 games in the past two seasons.
- While it may end up being for naught, the Patriots are hosting Carter out of Penn State on a top-30 visit this coming Monday, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. Carter is only taking visits with teams in the top 4 picks (Titans, Browns, Giants, and Patriots), so it stands to reason that if he falls past the first three picks, he’d be an easy selection for New England to make at fourth overall.
I like Campbell a lot, but I think there’s a better than coin flip chance he ends up at guard. If it were only the arm length/wingspan issue and he had immaculate tape that would be one thing, but he did lose on the edge to some lengthier guys like Landon Jackson and Kyle Kennard, and there are a lot more of those guys in the league than in college. But I think if he gets moved to guard he could be a Pro Bowler.