The New England Patriots have improved their offensive line significantly. Four of the five starters from 2024 have been replaced, and Drake Maye's time to throw has gone from 28th to ninth in the league in just a season, per Pro Football Focus. Will Campbell and Morgan Moses were added as the new bookends, while rookie Jared Wilson has made strides at left guard. Former first-round pick Garrett Bradbury is the anchor of the line at center, while Mike Onwenu remains at right guard.
The depth of the line has also improved. Vederian Lowe has been serviceable in the wake of Campbell's injury, and Ben Brown isn't a step down from Wilson at left guard. Seventh-round pick Marcus Bryant has a massive frame and showed real promise in the preseason; 2024 third-round pick Caedan Wallace has been a non-factor this year, but could be a backup guard in the future.
Despite the vast improvement, the line is still far from perfect. The Patriots have severely struggled to run the ball consistently, even with TreVeyon Henderson offering some juice to the backfield.
This offseason, we could very well see some major moving pieces along the line. Lowe will be a free agent, and they may try to move Jared Wilson to center (where he starred for the Georgia Bulldogs), leaving Bradbury a cut candidate. Onwenu's big contract could be a future hinderance, and Moses will be 36 at the beginning of next year.
The 2026 NFL Draft could be the best way to ensure Drake Maye is protected long into the future.
The Patriots should look at these offensive line options in the draft
Austin Siereveld, Offensive Tackle, Ohio State
Ohio State has produced some excellent offensive linemen over the years. In 2025, they had two first-round picks on the offensive line, Donovan Jackson and Josh Simmons. In 2026, they may have another in Siereveld. It looked certain he would play on the inside in college, and he did that last year, playing both left and right guard. He finished the year with a middling 62.5 PFF grade, allowing three sacks.
He's been bumped outside this year, playing as the blindside protector for Julian Sayin. As the left tackle, he's improved dramatically. His PFF grade has shot up to 83.3, and he's yet to allow a sack in nearly 800 snaps. He's good as a pass blocker and run blocker, and his versatility to play both tackle and guard is very appealing.
Drafting the OSU product would give the Patriots the flexibility to part ways with Bradbury or Onwenu, or have a long-term successor to Moses. The Patriots will be picking late in the first round, and that's exactly where he's projected to be drafted.
Emmanuel Pregnon, Guard, Oregon
Pregnon has been a journeyman in his college football career. He got his start at Wyoming, then transferred to USC before going to Oregon for his final season. He's allowed only one sack in his collegiate career, which started back in 2020. He's played left guard for the Ducks this year after starting his career on the right side, and he's been excellent.
He has an 82.0 run blocking grade and an 87.7 pass blocking grade. At 6-foot-5, 318 pounds, he has solid NFL size and the physical makeup of a guard perfect for a pass-heavy offense. The Patriots rank 25th in pass attempts per game, but Maye has been so effective that number may dramatically rise in 2026.
Pregnon is firmly slated to be a mid-second round pick, but New England could be aggressive and take him at the end of the first. A trade down seems more likely if he is to be the selection.
Caleb Tiernan, Offensive Tackle, Northwestern
Tiernan has a massive frame: At 6-foot-7, 325 pounds, he has the build of a Big 10 offensive tackle, and often they become fine offensive linemen. Northwestern has produced a pair of high first-round picks recently in Rashawn Slater and Peter Skoronski. Tiernan has operated as the team's left tackle for the past three seasons, but started at right tackle in 2022.
Tiernan could immediately be an excellent swing tackle behind Campbell and Moses, and could later take over for Moses when he calls it quits. We saw what the Chargers were able to do with two young tackles in Slater and Joe Alt before they each went down with injuries, and the Patriots have the chance to do just that through Tiernan.
Gennings Dunker, Offensive Tackle, Iowa
The consensus on Dunker is that he'll have to make the move inside to guard because of his arm length. Where have we heard that before? Dunker is an experienced right tackle who thrives as a run blocker. For a team that has struggled to run the ball, he's exactly the type of player they might look to add.
A right tackle by trade, he could slide in for Moses without any learning curve, or could play one of the guard spots should Wilson be moved to center or Onwenu be released. It seems right tackle or guard is his future in the NFL, but that's exactly what New England needs. They have the luxury to take a right tackle in the first round, and they should absolutely take advantage of that luxury.
The New England Patriots clearly have something special in Drake Maye. We've seen young quarterbacks succumb to injuries early in their careers that derail them all too many times, and building a wall on the line is the best way to avoid entering that fate. Adding an offensive lineman in the first two rounds should be a priority, and it very well could be one of these players.