Patriots Likely to Target Offensive Line in First Round Amid Postseason Exposure

The Patriots will be hard-pressed to return to the Super Bowl, the loser of that game tends to suffer the following season, and especially if the team does not devote significant resources to improving an offensive line that got exposed throughout the postseason. 

This is not lost on team officials, according to league sources, and they expect New England to be willing to move up in the first-round if necessary to secure offensive line prospects they are particularly high on. 

“They’re going to be aggressive,” one general manager said. “They’ll move up if they have to.”

Quarterback Drake Maye took off in his first full season as an NFL starter and finished runner-up for the Most Valuable Player award, but the Patriots benefitted from playing one of the weakest schedules in recent NFL history and that will change exponentially next season playing a first-place schedule. 

While the franchise has stood by left tackle Will Campbell he was exposed badly in the postseason and rival front offices would not be surprised at all to see the Patriots attempt to land one of the top tackles in this draft, and could always shift Campbell to the right side.

“Campbell would be better at guard,” another general manager said. “That’s where he’ll end up.”

Issues Go Beyond Campbell

Whatever the future holds for Campbell, New England has Morgan Moses, nearing the end of his career, at right tackle and has an open starting spot at guard as well. 

Even if Campbell has an okay season at left tackle, this is still an area of need. 

The Patriots could certainly target a top pass rusher, but picking so low, the defensive side of the draft will be pretty picked apart by the time they select. And even if the Patriots do not move up, the back end of the first round is always ripe with offensive lineman with potential to start quickly as rookies. 

At this point, New England to select an offensive lineman with its first pick (+240, DraftKings) might be a worthwhile proposition. It wouldn’t come as a surprise to some of the teams selecting in the back half of the first round, themselves.