Perry's Prototypical Patriots: Which OTs are best fits in New England?
The Patriots have often had one of the better offensive lines in the NFL over the course of Bill Belichick's time with the team. That's one of the reasons that they've been so competitive each and every year.Right now, their line is shaping up to be good again even after the exits of Joe Thuney and Marcus Cannon. The team added Trent Brown and has a tackle tandem that looks pretty good on paper.Still, the 2021 NFL Draft is deep at the tackle spot and the Patriots are always looking for depth up front. Phil Perry dives into the offensive tackles the Patriots could consider adding to bolster their depth and build toward the future.
You may not think so, but tackle is a need for the Patriots. Even with Trent Brown and Isaiah Wynn in house.
Both players are on one-year contracts. Brown could end up earning another deal here, but he'll have to prove he can return to the level he flashed back in 2018. Wynn -- if his fifth-year option isn't picked up before May 3 -- is going to have to prove he can stay healthy to earn another contract.
Behind them? Justin Herron looks like a promising player, but whether he'll ever be able to start at one of the most important positions on the roster still remains to be seen.
If the Patriots want to make sure they have insurance at the edges of the line of scrimmage on the offensive side of the ball, they could invest in a tackle early. Lucky for them, it's a loaded class at the position, with potential starters looking like they could slip into the late second or third round. That's not usually the case at a spot where only the rarest of humans thrive.
What do the Patriots like to see in tackles coming out of the draft? Going through their choices at that position over the last decade, it's clear they want athletes. Vertical jumps sniffing 30 inches, broad jumps up over 100 inches and short-shuttle times under 5.0 seconds are preferred. Clock a 40 time in the 5.15-second range (helped by a good 10-yard split) and a three-cone around 7.5-seconds, and you've got a shot.
Size appeared to matter once upon a time, and then Belichick drafted Wynn. But even Wynn (6-3, 313) had long enough arms (33.5 inches) to handle the job in New England's view.
Let's dig into the options...
Height, weight: 6-foot-6, 314 pounds
Cosmi gives off some Nate Solder vibes. A stalwart in the Big 12, Cosmi represents a rare combination of athleticism, durability and toughness. He started 34 straight games, playing both tackle spots, over three seasons.
Though not quite as tall as Solder (6-8), like Solder, Cosmi looked more like a basketball player than an offensive linemen early in his football-playing career. He weighed 215 pounds as a high school sophomore, per The Athletic's Dane Brugler.
Turns out, even after adding more than 100 pounds since then, Cosmi still moves like a basketball player. He broad jumped 117 inches to go along with a 30-inch vertical. Impressive enough. But his timed speed was off the charts for someone his size.
His 4.39-second short-shuttle was elite, as was his 4.87-second 40 and 1.68-second 10-yard split. Add in a three-cone drill of 7.35 seconds and this 2020 captain is close to an ideal fit for the Patriots offensive line.
Height, weight: 6-foot-4, 304 pounds
Is he a guard? Is he a tackle? Is he better than Penei Sewell? There seem to be all kinds of questions floating around Slater these days, but the answer to them all should probably be: Who cares?
Slater is one of the best football players in this year's draft. He's more than athletic enough to play on the outside for the Patriots (33-inch vertical, 112-inch broad, 4.45-second shuttle, 4.91-second 40), and though he's not a towering option to play tackle, he's in the Isaiah Wynn mold of being big enough (33-inch arms, 10.5-inch hands) to hold up.
Height, weight: 6-foot-5, 331 pounds
Sewell is far from a finished product; since he opted out of the 2020 season, the last time we saw him in a game was as a 19-year-old. But he's one of those "don't-grow-on-trees" types Bill Belichick often refers to.
Even though his 28-inch vertical isn't going to wow anyone, and even though his 7.76-second three-cone time might be a concern in a vacuum... there just aren't many people on the planet as big as Sewell who can move the way he can. And he's only going to get stronger and grow into his body as time passes. He's a specimen.
Sewell won't be available to the Patriots, in all likelihood, but that doesn't mean he ain't a fit.
Height, weight: 6-foot-5, 312 pounds
Leatherwood has the SEC experience, the versatility (he played both tackle and guard under Nick Saban), durability (41 straight starts) and the size to be a fit for the Patriots. The only questions about Leatherwood's game were about how well his movement skills would translate to the NFL. The 'Bama captain answered pretty emphatically at his pro day with a whopping 34.5-inch vertical, a 118-inch broad jump and a 5.01-second 40.
A two-time First-Team All-SEC honoree, the winner of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy (best blocker in the SEC) and the Outland Trophy (top lineman in the country), and a member of the Joe Moore Award-winning Alabama offensive line (top line in the country), Leatherwood has just about every honor a lineman could want leaving Alabama. He also has his degree (business administration).
Height, weight: 6-foot-5, 322 pounds
There are moments on Darrisaw's tape when he's toying with defenders like he's an eighth-grade bully flexing on third graders. According to Pro Football Focus, he didn't allow a sack or quarterback hit in 2020. He didn't test at Virginia Tech's pro day but he sure looks like a talented enough athlete to qualify for the Patriots.
Plus he's coming from a program at Virginia Tech that doesn't just value the running game. They rely on it. That's rare these days in the college game and should help him in the eyes of evaluators at One Patriots Place.
Darrisaw has enough in the way of impressive reps in both the running and passing games -- he dominated a talented Miami defensive line last season -- that he has an argument as one of the top tackles in this class.
Height, weight: 6-foot-6, 317 pounds
Talk about a bully. Jenkins was every bit as mean as Darrisaw and probably more so depending on which game you happen to have seen. If you're a fan of "finishing" along the offensive line, you're hoping he somehow lands in New England.
Like many of the others on this list he's durable (35 games in four seasons) and versatile (played everywhere on the line except center), and per Brugler he didn't allow a sack as a junior or senior. Add that impressive resume to a 32.5-inch vertical, a 106-inch broad jump and a 5.01-second 40 time and you've got a Prototypical Patriot on your hands.
Height, weight: 6-foot-6, 301 pounds
Radunz might be a tad light. He might've had an easier slate of defenders to block compared to some other tackle prospects in this class. But there's no doubting he's an NFL-caliber athlete (32-inch vertical, 112-inch broad, 1.76-second 10-yard split, 7.26-second three-cone). He also proved that fact at this year's Senior Bowl where he was voted by opposing defensive linemen as the top offensive lineman on the National Team.
As you know by now, the Patriots are always on the lookout for smaller-program players who show out against good competition in Mobile, Ala. (Kyle Dugger, Derek Rivers, Jamie Collins, Taylor Price).
Height, weight: 6-foot-8, 311 pounds
A five-sport athlete in high school (football, basketball, baseball, track, golf), Brown looks like one of the most athletic linemen to enter the league the last few years. His 6.96-second three-cone drill is ridiculous for someone with his frame. He added a 4.94-second 40 (1.69-second 10-yard split), 31.5-inch vertical and 117-inch broad at his pro day.
Brown is still raw from a technique perspective -- he found himself on the wrong end of some difficult matchups at the Senior Bowl -- but it's hard to find the traits he possesses. In New England, where athleticism helps, he may be worth a look on Day 2.
Height, weight: 6-foot-6, 306 pounds
Eichenberg is plenty tall enough to look the part of an NFL tackle, but his arm length (32 inches) is going to be a concern on the outside. He's also not the most explosive of athletes in this class, but his 105-inch broad jump and 7.53-second three-cone drill is indicative of some lower-body twitch.
There's plenty else to appreciate in Eichebnerg's game, though, including his ability to stay on the field. He logged 38 straight starts for the Fighting Irish and hails from a program that has done nothing but churn out high-end NFL linemen over the last decade. He may end up at guard, but we'll keep him on the tackle list for now.
