3 Patriots Who Will Be Replaced on Day 2 of the NFL Draft

Vederian Lowe, OT

One of the main areas that the Patriots struggled in last season was protecting their quarterbacks. The offensive line dealt with injuries throughout the season and the players who stepped up in their stead failed to meet expectations, resulting in the fourth-worst pass-block grade (50.9) in the NFL according to PFF.

With a rookie quarterback at the helm, improving the offensive line will be as important as ever for New England. Last season, the Patriots not only gave up 48 sacks but was one of only two teams in the league to have more interceptions than touchdowns. Drake Maye needs to be put in a better position, with better protection and clearer throwing lanes.

That starts with replacing the main culprits. One of those players is Vederian Lowe, who split his time between left tackle and right tackle last season, playing in 476 snaps in 11 games. These snaps were a total disaster as he allowed six sacks and three QB hits while posting a 36.0 pass block grade and an overall 41.7 grade on PFF. This put him at 79 out of 81 qualified tackles in the league in 2023.

As of now, Lowe projects to be a backup behind the newly acquired Chukwuma Okorafor and long-term Patriot Mike Onwenu. However, this offensive line still needs more depth as New England can't afford to have Lowe play significant snaps in case of injury again. There is a good chance the Patriots will draft an offensive lineman with one of their two Day 2 picks, pushing the former Minnesota Viking further down the depth chart.