New England Patriots: Taking a crack at the 53-man roster
Offensive Tackles (4)
- Nate Solder
- Marcus Cannon
- Antonio Garcia
- Cameron Fleming
The Patriots will likely add Antonio Garcia to this group to replace the retired Sebastian Vollmer. New England also drafted Conor McDermott in the draft, but he may end up as a practice squad player, which will allow him to develop his game a bit more.
Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon will be your left and right tackles respectively, while Cameron Fleming allows for some flexibility on the line. Fleming can play inside or out, which is crucial since I believe the Patriots will carry just three interior linemen.
Offensive Interior Lineman (3)
- Joe Thuney
- David Andrews
- Shaq Mason
Ideally, New England would carry four interior linemen, but Cameron Fleming’s flexibility allows the team to carry another special teams player (Brandon Bolden).
Joe Thuney, David Andrews, and Shaq Mason will all be starters, and each will hopefully take steps forward. With the help of legendary coach Dante Scarnecchia, New England could have one of the best offensive lines in 2017. I understand that’s a bold statement, but I truly believe it. Defenses will be on the edge dealing with the Patriots’ skill players, so the line should be the ones attacking the defense.
At times last season, the line was a clear weak link for the offense. If they can improve even just slightly, this offense is going to be unstoppable.