New England Patriots
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New England Patriots insider Evan Lazar has the team addressing offensive line in his latest mock draft.
The New England Patriots made a surprising run to the Super Bowl last season, before falling short in the Big Game. That game was a major struggle for the offensive line, which had struggled against top competition all postseason, and it ultimately cost the entire team. Now, with the NFL Draft rapidly approaching, the Patriots have a chance to address those weaknesses along the offensive line.
Patriots insider Evan Lazar recently released a mock draft for the team. In it, he predicted that New England is going to want to address the offensive line as soon as possible in the first round, selecting Clemson Tigers offensive tackle Blake Miller 31st overall.
Lazar noted that he put together this mock draft with the assumption that A.J. Brown will soon be in New England. So, a top-tier wide receiver was already covered as a matter of roster building. That left the offensive line. Despite 2025’s first-round pick, Will Campbell, struggling while dealing with an injury in the playoffs, the bigger immediate concern is right tackle. There, Morgan Moses is aging and has had his own share of struggles. Still, he’s a veteran who Miller would be able to develop behind before ultimately taking over.
“New England needs to start prepping for life after Moses and its tackle depth behind Moses and starting LT Will Campbell is thin,” Lazar wrote. “The draft is also much deeper at immediate positions of need (EDGE) but extremely shallow at tackle. If the goal is to get Moses’s replacement in-house this offseason, it’s hard to envision doing that without using the 31st overall pick on his successor. ”
Who is Clemson Tigers Offensive Tackle Blake Miller?
Blake Miller NFL Combine
GettyClemson lineman Blake Miller
Blake Miller is an interesting offensive tackle in this year’s NFL Draft. He joined Clemson in 2022, where he would go on to break the career record for snaps from scrimmage, with 3,778 snaps. That came over in 54 games, all of which he started. In turn, that makes him one of the most experienced players entering the NFL this season.
In both 2024 and 2025, Miller earned First Team All-ACC selections. He had also previously earned a Third Team All-ACC selection and First Team Freshman All-American status.
At the NFL Combine, Miller was measured at 6’ 7’’ and 317 lbs. He also put up 32 reps on the bench press and ran a 5.04 40-yard dash. That was 2nd among offensive linemen at the bench press and 14th in the 40-yard dash.
In his latest Big Board Rankings, ESPN’s Mel Kiper ranked Miller fourth among offensive tackles. That comes in a top-heavy draft for linemen.
Mike Vrabel Recently Teased the New England Patriots’ Draft Plans
New England Patriots Mike Vrabel
GettyNew England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel
There’s no denying that the New England Patriots have several needs to address in this NFL Draft. Offensive line is one of those issues. However, edge rusher, linebacker, and wide receiver are also in doubt going into this next season.
Given all of those concerns, it’s not a surprise that when head coach Mike Vrabel teased the plan for the NFL Draft, it was to take the “best available” player. He also noted that the team could either decide to trade up or trade down, keeping the plan rather vague.
In the end, only time is going to tell what New England does in the draft. That time is now rapidly approaching with the calendar turning to April. The NFL Draft will begin on April 23rd for the first round.