New England Patriots: 30 greatest players in franchise history

• 6x Pro Bowl w/Patriots (2007, 2009-13)
• First-Team All-Pro (2010)
• 5x Second-Team All-Pro (2007, 2009, 2011-13)
• 130 games, starts w/Patriots

We are only a few years removed from left guard Logan Mankins hanging up the spikes. However, he stands a great chance at earning Pro Football of Fame enshrinement. Now why is that? Well, because he was easily the best offensive lineman to play for the Patriots during the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick era.

Though left tackle Matt Light was exceptional, Mankins was the only perennial All-Pro up front during the second-wave of Patriots glory. Mankins was the last pick of the first round in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Patriots out of Fresno State. Even after winning Super Bowl XXXIX over the Philadelphia Eagles, the Patriots were able to find a great player with their late first-round pick.

Mankins was one of those players Belichick could just plug in and play at left guard. He was an immediate starter as a rookie in 2005, playing in and starting all 16 games that campaign. Though solid in his first few years in the league, he and the rest of the Patriots offense really shined during that brilliant, almost perfect 2007 NFL season.

Mankins made his first career trip to the Pro Bowl, as well as grabbing his first Second-Team All-Pro nod. He would become a staple as one of the best interior offensive linemen for the next decade. New England might have come up short against the New York Giants in the Super Bowl on their quest for perfection, but New England had a sure thing on the offensive line in Mankins.

He ended up starting 130 games with the Patriots at left guard over nine seasons with the team. The Patriots ended up winning the AFC East eight times during Mankins’ tenure with New England. While the Patriots did a ton of winning during that nine-year stretch, a Super Bowl victory would evade Mankins, as he went 0-2 against the Giants in the big game.

Overall, he made six trips to the Pro Bowl in nine seasons with the Patriots. Mankins was Second-Team All-Pro five times and was First-Team All-Pro in 2010 with New England. Though an incredibly productive player, Mankins wouldn’t get to ride out his entire NFL career in Foxborough.

He was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014 for tight end Tim Wright and a fourth-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Mankins briefly filled the void of Pro Bowl guard Davin Joseph having been cut the Buccaneers. In two years in Tampa Bay, Mankins did garner a seventh career Pro Bowl appearance in 2015 before retiring at the end of the season.

Seven Pro Bowls in 11 years and six All-Pro teams should make Mankins a worthy candidate for Canton enshrinement one day. His chances of getting inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame are almost certain. Though it may take some time for Mankins to achieve pro football’s highest honor, he’s the second best guard in the history of the Patriots. Given who No. 1 is, that’s worthy praise.