After a multi-year teardown and makeover, the New England Patriots’ offensive line is in a better spot heading into the 2026 NFL Draft than it has been at this time of year the past few seasons. The team appears to have five clear starters for the upcoming season across the board, which hasn’t been the case at this point on the calendar in recent history.
That being said, it’s still a position the team should be addressing at some point over the three days. If nothing else, teams can never have enough offensive line depth. It’s rare of an NFL team to go a full draft without adding at least one offensive lineman. The Patriots in particular have drafted at least one offensive lineman in every draft since 2014, with 10 of the 12 classes in that span including multiple linemen. Some of those linemen are later picks, but the idea is the team generally at least takes a couple of swings.
What specifically will they be looking for this year. The biggest need is once again at tackle. It’s not an immediate starter this time, but with Morgan Moses entering his age-35 season with just one year of guaranteed money left on his contract, thinking ahead at right tackle should be on the to-do list. The Patriots also need more tackle depth at both spots following the departure of Vederian Lowe. A short-term swing tackle with long-term right tackle upside isn’t unrealistic and could check both boxes with just one roster spot.
On the inside the Patriots do have both starters and depth after signing Ben Brown to an extension late last offseason. Still adding another body on the inside couldn’t hurt. In the short term, an extra layer of depth with Alijah Vera-Tucker’s injury history wouldn’t be a bad idea, although they do have a primary backup in Ben Brown. This also could be another pipeline pick, with Mike Onwenu entering a contract year.
Which players fit the bill? Let’s go through the top 100 and other names to know on the offensive line in the 2026 NFL Draft, starting with a focus on tackles.
Out of range tackles
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Nov 1, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa (61) gets into position during the game between the Mustangs and the Hurricanes at Gerald J. Ford Stadium.
The two tackles currently projected in the top 10 are Francis Mauigoa of Miami and Monroe Freeling of Georgia. Both play on the right side.
Spencer Fano from Utah has also been projected in that range, but is a little more of a wild card. It’s another year of arm length debates at the top of the draft, with Fano measuring in at 32 1/8-inches at the Combine and 32 7/8 at his Pro Day (for the second year in a row, the NFL Combine measurements do not line up with everything else).
Even if teams do see him as an interior player though, he’ll still likely go beyond the Patriots’ range. He worked at tackle, guard, and center at the Combine. As an interior player, he’d likely be the first or second at the position off the board.
Will they fall?
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Moving further down the first round, there are three tackles that could end up in range for the Patriots, if not at No. 31 than with a trade up. For Pick 31 in particular, this isn’t one of those situations where ‘they likely won’t get their chose but one should be there.’ Rather, there’s a chance all three go in the top 30.
The least likely of the three to fall is Kadyn Proctor from Alabama. Proctor is a massive right tackle at 6-foot-7, 352 pounds with 33 3/8-inch arms. He’s a great athlete for a player his size to the point that Alabama threw him some screen passes. However quicker rushers can still give him trouble at times, which has some wondering if he’ll move into guard at the next level.
More realistic at Pick 31
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Getting closer to Pick 31, there are two more tackles who are more likely to be on the board. Both are projected late first- or early second-round picks, and while there’s a chance both go before Pick 31 given how tackles tend to well exceed projections, it would be surprising if the Patriots don’t have a shot to take at least one.
Blake Miller from Clemson currently projects right in the Patriots’ range. He’s a rare experienced, younger prospect who will be a 22-year-old rookie despite having started 54 games in college (52 at right tackle). At 6-foot-7, 317 pounds with 34 1/4-inch arms he’s got the size and athleticism of a pro tackle, there are just some smaller technical things to clean up in his game, in particular with his hands. With Morgan Moses still on the team, the Patriots have time to work with him.
Then there’s Max Iheanachor from Arizona State. Iheanachor currently projects as an early second-round pick, but as mentioned above tackles tend to move up the board instead of down. In this specific case too – which regards the rest of the class and we’ll get to in a second – any team that wants a tackle high in the draft might be scrambling to take him.
Iheanachor is a traits-heavy prospect. He’s got the size at 6-foot-6, 321 pounds with 34-inch arms, but is a good mover with his basketball background showing through. His athletic career actually began with basketball, and he didn’t start playing football until college. Because of that, his technical game is still very raw. As a developmental tackle though, there’s a lot to like. Mike Vrabel attended Iheanachor’s pro day last week.
‘The Tackle Gap’
Part of the reason teams might be more aggressive when it comes to players like Miler and Iheanachor is that once they’re gone, that’s it for non-project player tackles. While Iheanachor should go top 40 (whether it be in the first or second round), the next true tackle is a projected fringe top 100 pick.
Now, what are the odds there will be about 60 picks without a tackle? Low. At least a few of the next group of tackles, projected fourth round picks, will likely well exceed their current projection. If that creates a run, it could be more than a few. But the important thing to know is that teams will need to and should be willing to get uncomfortable if they want a potential starter or high-level project tackle. That could result in things looking like 2024, when there was an unexpected run on tackles on Day 2 shooting players way beyond their projections.
Fringe top 100 tackles
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Given that gap, it’s tough to project tackles for the Patriots at Pick 63. At Picks 95, 125, and 131 though there are plenty of names to know.
The top picks in that range are Dametrious Crownover from Texas A&M and Jude Bowry from Boston College. Crownover is a converted tight end at 6-foot-7, 319 pounds with almost 36-inch arms. He’s not quite the athlete Iheanachor is and is still learning the technical elements of the position, but has the size and power to play the position as a pro especially as a run blocker.
Bowry was a two-year starter at left tackle for the Eagles, but projects more as a right tackle in the NFL. So, he’ll have to make that transition but has excellent athleticism and movement skills at 6-foot-5, 314 pounds to fall back on while doing it. That left tackle experience gives him swing tackle potential at the minimum, but with the right coaching has the tools to be a starting right tackle early in his NFL career.
The players who slot more into those early Day 3 picks start with Markel Bell from Miami. Bell looms over opposing rushers at 6-foot-9, 346 pounds and plays like the prototypical oversized right tackle. He’ll bully rushers that try to come right at him, but does have some challenges dealing with quicker rushers around the edge.
Florida’s Austin Barber is a more experienced, technically sound tackle but he doesn’t have some of the same physical tools at 6-foot-7, 318 pounds. With four seasons of starting experience playing both the left and right side he has the makeup of a swing tackle right away, the question is can he develop further into a starter? Struggles against elite defenses like Miami and Texas A&M might hurt his stock.
One last tackle we’ll highlight in this range is Isaiah World from Oregon. During the season World was projected as a potential first-round pick after transferring from Nevada. However he torn his ACL during the College Football Playoff, and now will need to rehab from that while continuing to work on his game. World has four years of starting experience and sees things well, but penalties were a problem for him in college and he struggled against elite competition last year.
Later Day 3 tackles
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Moving on to the tackles that round this class out, we’ll start with J.C. Davis from Illinois. A four-year starter who played exclusively on the left side but projects as a swing tackle, Davis turns his size (6-foot-4, 322 pounds) into power coming out of his stance, struggles as the rep goes on, but is a strong finisher when he gets the chance. Unlike some of the other Day 3 tackles, his play didn’t drop off against some of the better rushers he faced.
That wasn’t the case for right tackle Aamil Wagner of Notre Dame. In the first game of the season he struggled significantly against Miami’s first-round edge duo of Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor. However, he showed significant growth from then on allowing just three more pressures and no sacks the remainder of the season. NFL teams tend to like players trending in the right direction, but that Miami game is still notable. Wagner also has just two years of starting experience in what is an experienced class. He’ll need to keep adding mass to his frame too – he checked in at the Combine at 6-foot-6, 306 pounds.
Later in the draft, Enrique Cruz Jr. from Kansas could be a developmental target. Cruz also has swing tackle potential with over 800 snaps at both spots in college, and tested well at the Combine at 6-foot-6, 320 pounds. Flexibility and bend are his biggest questions.
Top 100 interior linemen
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Generally, guards or centers drafted in the top 100 are expected to be immediate starters. Given that this range isn’t as relevant to the Patriots. However it is a strong interior line class.
Olaivavega Ioane from Penn State projects as a top 20 pick, and the only first-round pick in the class (unless teams view Fano as an interior player). Day 2 includes Emmanuel Pregnon from Oregon, Chase Bisontis from Texas A&M, and converted tackle Gennings Dunker from Iowa as second round picks, and Keylan Rutledge from Georgia Tech, and converted tackle Caleb Tiernan from Northwestern as third round picks. Connor Lew from Auburn and Sam Hecht from Kansas State are projected Day 2 centers.
If the Patriots are going to get aggressive at guard, in particular with building a pipeline behind Onwenu at right guard, Dunker and Rutledge projects as a fit. Both are physical, mauling blockers who play with an edge. To draft one though, the Patriots would probably need to move up from 95.
Day 3 guards
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Using a Day 3 pick on a guard might make more sense, both to find added depth and/or a right guard of the future. There’s plenty of depth in this class to do so here.
The player on the high end of this range is Billy Schrauth from Notre Dame. At 6-foot-5, 310 pounds he’s a grinder who was a team captain for the Fighting Irish, and wins with pure strength but doesn’t move as well as other guards. He’s also dealt with multiple injuries over the last two years.
DJ Campbell from Texas also profiles as a bully ball technician at 6-foot-3, 313 pounds. Campbell has a ton of experience at right guard, starting three years for the Longhorns and logging over 2,600 snaps in college. Penalties have been a bit of a problem for him in his career, including a career-high 10 last year.
Further down on Day 3 are some of the more big, mauling blockers that profile more similar to Onwenu (who himself was a late Day 3 pick). Jeremiah Wright from Auburn, Ar’Maj Reed-Adams from Texas A&M, Anez Cooper from Miami, and Micah Morris from Georgia are all in this group.
Logan Taylor from Boston College is a final name for Patriots fans to know. He projects mainly as a guard but has four-position backup versatility. If the Patriots are worried about depth, he’d be a good addition next to Ben Brown to cover as many spots as possible while not taking up too many roster spots.