Is an offensive tackle worthy of the No. 31 overall pick?
With 11 draft picks going into next week's 2026 NFL Draft, four of which are in the sixth round, there is a lot of room to move up the board in some of the middle rounds. However, there is still little room for error regarding what the Patriots absolutely need to draft.
Case in point: their aging offensive tackle, Morgan Moses.
Moses is entering the second year of a three-year deal with the Patriots, and many are wondering what the move is to develop someone to take over for him if he were to finish out that contract or be gone sooner.
Whether it be on the Patriots Roundtable Podcast or any other sports outlet, mock drafts are very prominent right now, especially this week and next. ESPN's Mina Kimes and The Athletic's Dane Brugler discussed who they think the Patriots should look at with the No. 31 overall pick, and it looks like it should be Moses' successor.
Brugler made the call that the Patriots will draft Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor. A player who went viral last month for doing some work hand drills with Mike Vrabel during Arizona State's pro day.
"Morgan Moses isn't getting any younger. I'll go Iheanachor," said Brugler. "He's your right tackle of the future. You've got Will Campbell, who they still hope is the left tackle of the future. Iheanachor is still raw. He started playing the sport five years ago, and there're gonna be bumps along the road. But the talent that he brings, the movement skills, the way that he finishes, the physicality—I'll bet on that."
One of the major goals this offseason was finding the right players to be a part of the offensive line to help boost Drake Maye's confidence even more in year three.
Optimism surrounds Will Campbell in Year 2 after a late-season dip due to an injury. The Patriots also brought in left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker in free agency and moved Jared Wilson to center.
Keeping Moses in the mix is key, but the smart thing is to have depth in case of injury or to create a worthy successor when the time comes to move off the veteran.
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