The New England Patriots have one of the NFL’s best offensive lines, according to Pro Football Focus, a digital scouting service. The website ranked the Patriots as having the third best group of offensive linemen in the NFL. And it’s easy to see why.
The Patriots have excellent top-end starters: tackles Isaiah Wynn and Trent Brown, guards Shaq Mason and Michael Onwenu and center David Andrews. New England also boasts incredible depth, which includes offseason signing Ted Karras, a backup center and guard, and last year’s draft surprise Justin Herron, a tackle and guard.
In my opinion, the Patriots face three major questions in 2021. First, there’s always the question of Wynn’s health. He has six or more games in every one of his first three seasons. Per PFF, he was otherwise the 11th best tackle in 2020, a stellar grade for him. Second, it’s unclear whether Onwenu, one of the NFL’s most impressive rookies, can maintain his high level of play, if only because he was also one of the NFL’s biggest surprises in his rookie season. And then third, Brown regressed with the Las Vegas Raiders, and there is no guarantee he will step up during his one-year deal with New England.
So here’s a look what PFF had to say about Onwenu and Brown, in particular:
“The Patriots rotated through several players at right tackle last season, with rookie sixth-rounder Michael Onwenu taking the majority of the snaps. He was one of the biggest surprises in the league, as he was excellent whether playing right guard or right tackle, and his 84.3 overall grade was by far the best of any rookie offensive lineman.
“New England traded for Trent Brown, which will likely push Onwenu to left guard to replace Joe Thuney. Brown returns to New England after two years with the Raiders, where he graded out at 69.1 in 2019 and 68.9 last year on 282 snaps. Brown spent one year in New England in 2018, earning a career-high 73.4 overall grade.”
The Patriots revamped their offensive skill group in 2021 by drafting quarterback Mac Jones and signing free agents Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry, Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne. The Patriots can have confidence in making the most out of those skill players because of what will surely be strong play from the offensive line.
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