2023 NFL Draft: Patriots first round trade down options with pick No. 14

The New England Patriots have a critically important NFL draft coming up in a month or so. The team’s offseason moves thus far have been a mixed bag with some spot on and others not so much.

The best moves were signing wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and tight end Mike Gesicki. Both are upgrades at their respective positions. Another possible positive was signing running back James Robinson who could surprise.

The Smith-Schuster and Robinson signings have to be linked with the departures of wideout Jakobi Meyers and running back Damian Harris. Both were solid players and their replacements are pretty much on par with them though Smith-Schuster’s upside is greater than Meyers’s.

The lesser lights were the signings of offensive tackles Calvin Anderson and Riley Reiff and re-signing of marginal players like offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste, and linebackers Mack Wilson and Raekwon McMillan. The team should have moved on from all of those players.

New England Patriots still need a top offensive tackle

Having eschewed signing a top free agent offensive tackle like Orlando Brown Jr. and then dropping significant money on lesser players, the Pats are losers overall on those lesser signings, especially at offensive tackle.

They need to address the position with one of their first two draft picks. One of the top four (or five) tackles would likely be available to the team at the 14th pick. Yet, the option to trade down might also be attractive.

Trading down and selecting a sliding top player could work out just fine for a team with a truckload of needs up and down their lineups.

One option is to hope that Lukas Van Ness, the Watt-brothers-like versatile Iowa defensive lineman slips down the board. The team may be able to trade down a few spots to gather more picks and still take Van Ness if he’s available.

The defensive line is a distinct need and if available, Van Ness’ versatility, able to play both inside and out, is a tremendous asset. He’s worth delaying taking the offensive tackle just a bit.

New England Patriots trade back up to take an offensive tackle

The Van Ness scenario is far-fetched because he has likely risen to an even higher draft position with his freakishly athletic combine. So another positional player who slips may have to be an option with a trade-down strategy.

Any of a number of needs could be filled including wide receiver, cornerback, or just the tried and true “best player available” strategy. Since the New England Patriots need help pretty much everywhere, that makes sense, as well.

Then, however, the move to shore up the offensive tackle position is absolutely essential. Having gained another pick or two, the move at that point would be to trade back up to the top of the second round perhaps, and maybe draft a favorite here, gigantic Ohio State tackle Dawand Jones.

Another option would be someone touted by former NFL General Manager, Mike Tannenbaum recently on nbcsports.com. It’s Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright.

Here’s what they cite Tannenbaum saying about Wright:

"“I was impressed with Wright’s tape, especially when the 6-foot-5, 333-pounder faced Will Anderson Jr. and neutralized him in Tennessee’s huge win over Alabama,” Tannenbaum wrote. “Wright allowed just one sack all season and also excelled during Senior Bowl week. The Patriots allowed a sack on 8.0% of their pass snaps, which was the third-highest mark in the NFL last season.“New England has not been the same on the offensive front, and while it signed Riley Reiff, he is not a long-term answer. The Pats have to do a better job of protecting Mac Jones, and Wright would help.”"

Whether it’s Wright if he’s available, Jones, or another top option, the team needs to move aggressively with that next pick for a tackle if they pass on one in the first round.

Do you think the New England Patriots should trade down in the first round for more picks?