Are the Patriots just doing their due diligence, or are they planning on using their first-round pick on the offensive line? That’s a question worth asked after Jim Nagy reported the team has offensive line coaches in attendance at Rashawn Slater’s Northwestern Pro Day.

Slater is consistently ranked the second or third best tackle in this year’s draft class, behind Oregon’s Penei Sewell and on par with Virginia Tech’s Christian Darrisaw. Most mock drafts have him going either 12th (SF) or 13th (LAC), meaning the Patriots would have to trade up – albeit slightly – to land him.

While the thought of moving up in the first round to get an offensive lineman may leave some fans’ heads spinning, the Patriots would end up with a tremendous player with plenty of upside. A three-year starter before opting out of the 2020 season, Slater was a dominant left tackle for the Wildcats. He drew national attention in 2019, when he neutralized eventual second-overall pick Chase Young.

On top of being technically sound Slater also offers positional versatility, with some scouts suggesting he could play all five spots along the line as a rookie. If the Patriots agree with that assessment, it’s not hard to see them giving Slater a significantly high grade.

Of the Patriots three top tackles, Trent Brown and Isaiah Wynn are both in the last guaranteed year of their contracts. Marcus Cannon has two years remaining, but at 32-years-old and coming off an opt out season, can be viewed as a year-to-year player. In a season with so many needs, will they use their first round pick to inject some stability back into the position? Or will they take advantage of a very deep tackle draft and wait on that pick until a later round?

MORE: Barth’s Patriots Mock Draft 1.0

• Round 1 Pick 15: Trade

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  This trade makes sense for the Patriots because quality will be as important as quantity in this year’s draft. Yes, they move down 10 spots in the first round, but go up 49 spots from the third to second round, and 40 spots from the sixth to the fourth round. On top of that, there is absolutely no chance Bill Belichick keeps the Tom Brady comp pick, which is the third-rounder used here. He won’t allow Brady’s departure to be tied to one single player. If you thought the Jimmy Garoppolo trade tree was wild, just wait.

• Round 1 Pick 25: QB Mac Jones, Alabama

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  Will the Patriots give Mac Jones the thumbs up on draft night? The Alabama signal caller is a high floor option who can facilitate an offense - assuming they use their bounty of cap space to vastly improve the talent around him.

• Round 2 Pick 46: LB Chazz Surratt, North Carolina

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  The Patriots seem to have an affinity for players who changed positions during their college career (Jakobi Meyers, J.C. Jackson). Chazz Surratt is a quarterback-turned-linebacker who could fill Dont'a Hightower's role one day if they coach him up right.
• Round 2 Pick 47: Trade

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  Once again, the Patriots move down to move up. By dropping five spots in the second round, they turn the second-to-last pick in this year’s fourth round into what should be an early-to-middle fourth round pick in 2022. That also recoups the future pick they gave up in the Jacksonville trade.

• Round 2 Pick 52: DL Marvin Wilson, Florida State

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  The Patriots have a solid history with big yet athletic defensive linemen from ACC Florida schools, and Marvin Wilson fits that description. He moves surprisingly well given his 6-foot-3, 319 pound frame, which allows him to be effective in both 3-4 and 4-3 fronts. If he can learn to use his feet as effectively as he uses his hands, he can be a three-down problem for opposing offenses.

• Round 3 Pick 74: Trade

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  Bill Belichick rarely lets major gaps pass without making a pick. 52 to 106 is too much of a break, so the Patriots use a future asset to jump back into the third round, and pick up a bonus top-100 pick.
• Round 3 Pick 74: WR Jaelon Darden, North Texas

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  Jaelon Darden does most of his damage with yards after the catch, once telling a TV crew, “Making someone miss is like waking up in the morning and brushing my teeth…I gotta do it every day,” and “slow feet don’t eat.” He matches his twitch and elite footwork with explosiveness out of his cuts, which results in plays where he weaves his way between defenders as he gets downfield. The Patriots need a receiver who can do damage with the ball in his hands, wherever he has it on the field.

• Round 4 Pick 106: T James Hudson, Cincinnati

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  James Hudson was originally recruited to Michigan as a defensive lineman, but switched to offense after transferring to Cincinnati. He's still raw when it comes to technique, but has a ton of physical upside. The Patriots have a history of turning those kinds of project linemen into starting-caliber players.

• Round 4 Pick 139: S Richard LeCounte III, Georgia

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  A consensus first-round pick this time last year, a dirt bike accident in October has teams thinking twice about Richard LeCounte. While the details of the incident aren't public, teams will do their digging. Any who are willing to look past it will get a highly intelligent safety and strong leader on and off the field.
• Round 5 Pick 160: EDGE Elerson Smith, Northern Iowa

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  The Patriots hit on a non-FBS pick last year when they took Kyle Dugger. Could they do it again with Elerson Smith? The Northern Iowa pass rusher is starting to build his frame for the NFL, and showed at the Senior Bowl that he can keep up with top-level talent.

• Round 6 Pick 201: TE Tre’ McKitty, Georgia/Florida State

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  Tre' McKitty doesn't do any one thing great, but he's good at everything, especially after refining his blocking ability last year at Georgia. He'd probably be a higher pick in a weaker tight end class (see: 2020), so this could be a chance for the Patriots to take advantage and grab a solid player with some value.

• For the full Patriots Mock Draft 1.0, click below.

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  For a full breakdown of any of the players listed above, click here.

Click here for 98.5 The Sports Hub’s complete coverage of the Patriots.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.

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