ESPN pulled all of their team writers together to do a re-draft of the first 64 picks of the 2022 NFL draft, and as expected, there were some significant changes.
However, things weren’t all that different for the New England Patriots, who managed to snag their original first-round draft pick later, along with picking up another premier offensive lineman.
With the No. 21 overall pick of the draft, ESPN’s Mike Reiss had the Patriots taking former Alabama standout offensive tackle Evan Neal. In hindsight, that would have been a solid pick-up for the Patriots with the team crashing and burning with Isaiah Wynn and Trent Brown manning the tackle positions.
Injuries and penalties hurt the team all season, and it’s clear they could have desperately used an upgrade. Neal went No. 7 overall to the New York Giants in the original draft. So he slipped quite a bit in the re-draft.
Reiss wrote:
“It was an up-and-down rookie season for Neal with the Giants, but just as his bookend tackle Andrew Thomas grew after a shaky start to his career, the projection is Neal will do the same. The Patriots learned firsthand in 2022 how difficult it can be when there is a shortage at tackle. Neal has high-end traits with which to work.”
After snagging Neal in the first round, the Patriots waited a bit longer to still come away with offensive guard Cole Strange with pick No. 54.
Perhaps the biggest head-scratcher of the 2022 draft was Patriots coach Bill Belichick making the decision to reach so high for Strange (No. 29), who probably would have still been on the board later. The former University at Chattanooga lineman was one of those under-the-radar selections that the Patriots typically pull with their day one draft picks.
Strange showed some clear growing pains throughout the season, but there were times when he popped on film as a future foundational piece for an offensive line clearly on the rebuild.
Reiss sees a long-term fit with Strange:
“When the Patriots selected Strange at No. 29 overall last April, it was a surprise to some around the NFL because he was projected to go a bit later. The 6-foot-5, 305-pound guard ended up starting every game as a rookie (playing 93.8% of the snaps), and his 93.6% pass block win rate ranked second among rookie linemen. He had some flashes of excellence, paired with rookie growing pains, and projects as a long-term fit at left guard.”
The biggest takeaway from this re-draft is the fact that the Patriots need serious help along the offensive front. It’s a trouble spot that they’ll likely continue addressing in 2023.
