After yet another heartbreaking loss filled with almost 100 yards worth of penalties, the New England Patriots have been eliminated from playoff contention and own the league’s fourth worst record. Assuming this pace continues for the final four games of the season, New England will have a tough choice to make come draft day. Should they select a skill position player or a lineman? The answer to this question lies in the 2021 NFL draft.
The 2021 draft stakes claim to be one of the most interesting draft debates ever. Despite sitting out the 2020 college season, Ja’Marr Chase was regarded as a stud wide receiver destined to go early in the draft. Meanwhile, Penei Sewell was hailed as the best lineman in a class filled with first round o-line talent.
The Patriots are in a similar position to the Bengals heading into the 2025 draft. Both teams secured their quarterback of the future with Drake Maye showing his big play ability all season and Joe Burrow showing flashes of his LSU self in early 2020. Unfortunately for Burrow, he was sacked at an alarming rate and sidelined for the season with a torn ACL after ten games. Maye has already had minor injury problems, leaving a game with symptoms of a concussion earlier this season after taking a hard hit on a scramble.
When April 2021 came around, fans of all teams were begging for Cincinnati to select Sewell to ensure Burrow’s health for the future. The Bengals instead took Chase and opted to sign free agent lineman such as Ted Karras to protect Burrow. Chase didn’t miss a beat in his rookie season, winning offensive rookie of the year and helping the Bengals reach the Super Bowl.
The biggest stage showed Cincinnati’s glaring weakness, as on fourth down for the Bengals, Aaron Donald broke past the line and pressured Burrow, forcing a turnover on downs in the final minutes. Would a rookie, like Penei Sewell, be able to stop one of the greatest pass rushers ever? Would the Bengals even be in the Super Bowl without Chase? These questions are debatable, but something that is not up for debate is both teams’ records this year and their potential futures.
The Detroit Lions are the best team in the NFC and Sewell has not allowed a sack all season. The Bengals just lost for the eighth time this season, and their playoff hopes continue to dwindle each week. Chase has been brilliant, but the NFL is a team sport, and Cincinnati needs to take a deep evaluation of their current talent. A lineman like Sewell would significantly help in a division where you play T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett two times each.
This brings me to the 2024 Patriots, whose offensive line has not gotten the job done. Since losing franchise cornerstone David Andrews to injury early in the season, New England has had a revolving door of linemen. Former first round pick Cole Strange has not panned out at guard while the remainder of the lineman come straight off the couch to play every Sunday.
The top lineman in this year’s draft and the person I think the Patriots should draft is Will Campbell. The LSU tackle weighs in at 323 pounds, has a 6-foot-6 frame and has primarily played left tackle for the Tigers this year. Scouts have raved about his footwork and pass blocking, something New England is in desperate need of. Campbell will be just 21 when next season begins, giving Maye the protection he needs so the QB does not have to scramble around all day.
If Campbell is taken before New England’s pick, plenty of options remain available at guard and tackle. Kelvin Banks Jr., of Texas, is also a projected top ten pick in next April’s draft, and his college teammate Cameron Williams could hear his name called in the first round as well. Ohio State’s Josh Simmons has created some buzz in draft circuits and could be a nice pairing with Maye.
The elephant in the room here is Heisman trophy frontrunner Travis Hunter. The superstar, who plays both sides of the ball, would be a perfect fit with not only Drake Maye, but also emerging star cornerback Christian Gonzalez in the secondary. However, I see two problems with this argument. The first being that teams with worse records than the Patriots, such as the Giants and Jaguars, will dial in on Hunter as the draft process ramps up. Secondly and more importantly, if New England is really trying to build for the future, they should look at where the Lions and Bengals, respectively, are in the standings. The Bengals championship window is closing with many players, including Tee Higgins, hitting free agency after this season. Detroit has completely changed its culture, and Sewell will be a force in the NFC North for at least the next decade.
Arizona’s Tetaiora McMillan is the other receiver being linked to the Patriots. While his hands and midair adjustments are phenomenal, those intangibles will mean nothing if Maye cannot release the ball in time.
The solution to this debate is simple: draft a tackle like Campbell or Banks Jr. while you continue to build a culture around your rookie quarterback. Doing this shows that Maye is for real and will attract free agent receivers like Higgins to New England as established weapons for future playoff runs.