If there's one thing we know about young offensive tackles whose skill sets will translate at the NFL level, it's that they're rare. Human beings with the requisite size and athletic traits to protect quarterbacks from freaky edge rushers simply aren't roaming the planet in great quantities.
But there's a case for the Patriots to wait at that position and take a player who would qualify as a "second-tier" option at the position in the 2025 NFL Draft class.
Yes, successful NFL tackles are typically drafted in the first round. And often the best of the best are drafted early in the first round. For the Patriots, who own the No. 4 overall pick, that may be good news. They could have the opportunity to take the player they think is the best of the bunch in this year's crop, filling what could be argued as their greatest need at this point in the offseason.
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But that choice may be more difficult this year given some of the other players who could be available to new head coach Mike Vrabel and his staff.
More from Phil Perry's "The Case For" series
- Drafting Travis Hunter
- Drafting Will Campbell
- Drafting Tetairoa McMillan
- Drafting Tyler Warren
- Trading Joe Milton
- Trading the No. 4 pick
There are two consensus blue-chip talents in the draft -- Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter and Colorado dual-threat Heisman-winner Travis Hunter -- and if one is still loose at No. 4, New England should pounce, scouts say.
That's even if they're without an obvious starting-caliber option at left tackle, as they are at the moment. The talents possessed by Carter and Hunter are just too impressive to pass up.
The opportunity cost of selecting a tackle over one of those two high-end non-tackles is one reason why the Patriots should be investigating second-tier tackles -- LSU's Will Campbell and Missouri's Armand Membou are widely projected to go in the top half of the first round.
But there's another: This year's "second tier" of tackles has some enticing options to protect Drake Maye's blind side.
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Oregon's Josh Conerly Jr. and Minnesota's Aireontae Ersery both had strong performances against Carter last season and have physical traits that suggest they could soon function as starters at left tackle.
Josh Simmons from Ohio State is coming off a scary patellar tendon injury that ended his 2024 prematurely, but when healthy he was considered in the running to be the first tackle taken this year's draft.
There's even a later-round flier from William and Mary, Charles Grant, who has exhibited impressive technique to go along with great length and an aggressive demeanor that someday could make him a starter.
The good tackles typically get drafted early. But there have been Day 2 gems at the position in the past.
Think second-rounders Matt Light and Sebastian Vollmer in New England. Think Chiefs tackle Jawaan Taylor, Texans tackle Cam Robinson and Vikings tackle Brian O'Neill -- all of whom went in the second round. Andrew Whitworth, a longtime stalwart for the Bengals and Rams, was a second-rounder in 2006.
It doesn't happen often that teams find great tackles beyond the top of the draft. But it does happen. And the Patriots should try to make it happen with their second pick -- whether that's at No. 38 overall in the second round or via a trade back up into the bottom of the first round -- if Hunter or Carter are there for them to draft at No. 4 overall.