Heading into the 2024 NFL draft, the New England Patriots, led by de facto general manager Eliot Wolf, president Jonathan Kraft and head coach Jerod Mayo, have eight total selections to make throughout the seven-round event.
New England's roster has a number of holes after a 4-13 finish in 2023, and offensive tackle is near the top of the list of the most pressing.
Mike Ownenu, who the team re-signed, is expected to start on the right side, but left tackle is still up in the air.
Wolf said that free-agent acquisition Chukwuma Okorafor would be the starter if the season began today, but the Patriots should be looking for other options.
Before the draft kicks off, let's take a look at seven offensive tackles, one in each round, that New England could consider taking.
First round - Joe Alt, Notre Dame
Alt (21 years old, 6-foot-8) played all three seasons at Notre Dame, earning All-American honors in 2022 and 2023.
Here's what NFL analyst Lance Zierlein had to say about him:
"Long-limbed team captain with NFL-quality tackle play coursing through his veins. Alt plays a disciplined brand of football, avoiding penalties and working with fluid transitions from entry to sustain to finish as a run blocker. Alt is a capable drive blocker with the foot quickness to play onto the second level. He struggles to bend enough to compensate for his height and ends up playing with waist-bending and forward lean that can hamper his anchor against bull-rushers. Alt has quick hands and outstanding arm extension, promoting his ability to sustain blocks and redirect pass-rushers. He’s a good technician who carries himself with confidence from snap to snap. Alt clearly has the talent to become a Day 1 starter on the left side, but he’ll need to clean up his habit of leaning forward, or he could be in for some bumpy action early on."
Second round - Patrick Paul, Houston
Paul (22 years old, 6-foot-7) spent five seasons at Houston making First-team All-Conference in the last three seasons (ACC in 2021-22 and Big 12 in 2023). He's the younger brother of Washington Commanders guard Chris Paul.
"Long, athletic left tackle prospect whose pass protection is much further ahead of his run blocking. Paul’s hands are more active than well-timed or accurate in pass protection, but he does a nice job of muting rush challenges with a decent anchor and an adequate mirror around the top of the arc. He’s high-cut with a tendency to bend at the waist into contact. He struggles to sustain and finish as a run blocker but that doesn’t appear to be an issue in pass protection. Paul should continue to add play strength, but he also needs to display better effort and full-time grit if he wants to square off against NFL run defenders and become a well-rounded left tackle."
Third round - Kiran Amegadjie, Yale
Amegadjie (22 years old, 6-foot-5) played four seasons at Yale, earning First-team All-Ivy League in 2022 and First-team FCS All-American in 2023.
"With a rare blend of athletic traits and eye-popping length, it might be a mistake to bet against the high number of boxes Amegadjie checks. His hand usage is a work in progress, and he hasn't learned to consistently get into blocks with proper footwork and body control, but both issues are coachable and likely to be corrected. Provided he improves his punch-timing and placement, his ability to keep rushers at the end of his length could become a big advantage. Amegadjie already possesses impressive explosiveness as a drive blocker and could become a quality NFL starter once his tutelage is complete."
Fourth round - Christian Jones, Texas
Jones (23 years old, 6-foot-6) spent six seasons at Texas. He was an honorable mention for All-Big 12 in 2022 and 2023.
"Right tackle prospect with athletic limitations that are sometimes covered up by his strength and length. Jones has good lean mass and a proportional frame. While the body composition is a plus, a lack of flexibility and agility works against him. He can maul and brawl what is in front of him, but meeting movement with body control and foot quickness is much tougher for him. He's a consistent waist-bender, which will make him a target for some edge defenders, but his physical attributes give him a chance to stick around."
Fifth round - Tylan Grable, UCF
Grable (24 years old, 6-foot-7) began his collegiate career at Jacksonville State (2018-21), but he transferred to UCF for his final two seasons (2022-23). He was First-team All-OVC and Second-team FCS All-American in 2020-21 and Third-team All-AAC in 2022.
"Offensive tackle prospect who was throwing for 3,000 yards as a junior in high school. Grable has clearly continued to grow since his quarterback days but still possesses lighter feet that show up in pass protection and out in space. He plays with a narrow strike zone at the point of attack and needs to improve his feel as a positional blocker. He has strong hands and is able to cinch up opponents once he gets inside. His pass protection is decent but can improve with cleaner hand strikes and placement. While he wasn't asked to operate much in such a system at UCF, his best fit might be with a stretch-zone team where he'll offer guard/tackle flexibility."
Sixth round - Garret Greenfield, South Dakota State
Greenfield (24 years old, 6-foot-7) played six seasons at South Dakota State, earning All-American honors in 2020-21, 2022 and 2023. He helped the Jackrabbits win two FCS national championships in each of the last two seasons.
"The sixth-year senior has seen his fair share of football and has shown continued improvement over the last three years. He plays with good quickness and is athletic in his lower body but needs to play under control. He's capable of setting out to rush speed or getting to lateral landmarks as a run blocker. Greenfield has a tendency to play with arbitrary footwork as both a run and pass blocker, which curtails his contact balance and consistency to sustain. He'll need to improve his core strength and protection technique to play in the NFL, but he has enough talent and athletic ability to compete for a backup role."
Seventh round - Giovanni Manu, British Columbia
Manu (6-foot-8) has been at the University of British Columbia for the last five years, playing in four seasons. He visited with the Patriots a couple of weeks ago.
At his Pro Day, he ran a 4.96 40-yard dash and added a 33.5-inch vertical leap. Obviously, it would be a huge transition for Manu, but he might be worth a late-round flier.
Zierlein:
