Editor’s Note: In the lead-up to the 2026 NFL Draft, Phil Perry is identifying the best fits for the Patriots at each position based on the traits that Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf value, as well as intel from coaches and scouts.
We’ve already hit on offensive tackles, tight ends, edge defenders, wide receivers, defensive tackles, linebackers, safeties and running backs. Today’s installment: offensive guards.
If Mike Vrabel and the Patriots are looking for offensive guard help in the draft, what traits will they be looking for?
They used a 2025 first-round pick on an interior lineman they liked well enough to start all season at left guard in Jared Wilson. The Georgia product measured 6-foot-3, 310 pounds at last year’s combine before being drafted by New England in the third round. He was an excellent athlete as well, recording a 9-foot-4 broad jump and a quick 4.56-second shuttle.
During Vrabel’s tenure in Tennessee, the Titans invested Day 1 or Day 2 picks on guards Nate Davis (third round, 2019) and Peter Skoronski (first round, 2024). Both players measured similarly — Davis was 6-foot-3, 316 pounds and Skoronski was 6-foot-4, 313 pounds — and, like Wilson, showed good lower-body explosiveness. Skoronski had a whopping 9-foot-7 broad jump, while Davis had a solid 8-foot-11.
Eliot Wolf’s background as a member of the Ron Wolf tree deserves a closer look as well when it comes to this position.
On the interior of the offensive line, there are 14 players who were drafted by a member of the Wolf tree in the first, second or third rounds in the last 15 years: Wilson, Grey Zabel, Josh Myers, Elgton Jenkins, Mitch Morse, Austin Corbett, Germain Ifedi, Ethan Pocic, Damian Lewis, John Moffitt, Chilo Rachal, David Baas, Gabe Jackson and Christian Haynes.
They had an average height of 6-foot-4 and an average weight of 315 pounds. And many of them possessed above-average quickness. Myers, drafted in the second round by the Packers in 2021, did not record a short-shuttle time before the draft. The rest either recorded short-shuttle times of at least 4.62 seconds or broad jumps of at least 8-feet-11.
Will the Patriots put a premium on those with typewriter feet, though? The way things are shaping up for them on the personnel front, it looks like they are once again set to look like a heavy gap-scheme offense on early downs. Instead of requiring next-level movers to run a wide-zone scheme, the Patriots offense under Josh McDaniels appears to look like the kind of attack that would take power over rangy athleticism.
Therefore, on this particular list, we’ll look at a handful of players who might not be fits for Vrabel in Tennessee or Wolf-tree executives building rosters for zone-running teams. Instead, these are bigger bodies looking to get downhill and punish whoever happens to get in their way.
Without further ado…
Day 1: Chase Bisontis, Texas A&M
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images At 6-foot-5, 320 pounds, Chase Bisontis has the frame that would play in New England’s downhill run schemes.
A three-year starter for the Aggies, Bisontis has enough in the way of traits that there’s an outside chance he’s drafted in the first round.
At 6-foot-5, 320 pounds, he has the frame that would play in New England’s downhill run schemes. As importantly, he has the mentality for those types of calls as well.
His length (32-inch arms) could make longer-armed defensive tackles a problem at the next level. But his power at the point of attack is his calling card, and if the Patriots are unsure of their plans for Mike Onwenu’s future — the veteran is in a contract year and has no guaranteed money left on his deal — perhaps Bisontis is a long-term answer.
Day 2: Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon
Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Emmanuel Pregnon’s strength and experience as a four-year starter gives him a shot to start right away.
Pregnon spent six years in school (three at Wyoming, two at USC, one at Oregon) and has the kind of frame what would suggest he spent a significant percentage of that time in the weight room.
The 6-foot-4, 314-pounder was a First-Team All-American last season, starting in all 15 games for the Ducks — 14 of which came on the left side. His 34-inch arms and 11-inch hands help him establish first contact with defenders in the trenches, and he looks to generously dole out punishment whenever possible.
Coming into the league at his age, his ceiling isn’t what it is for others in this class, but his strength and experience as a four-year starter gives him a shot to start right away and provide a violent presence on the interior wherever he ends up.
Day 2: Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech
Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images Keylan Rutledge is a good enough athlete (5.05-second 40) to function in a zone scheme for the Patriots.
Like Pregnon and Bisontis, there’s a chance Rutledge sneaks into the first round thanks in part to his athletic traits and nasty demeanor.
A smooth mover when asked to pull and create running lanes out in space, Rutledge is consistently looking to bury opponents and he gives himself through the echo of the whistle to do exactly that.
His mauling style on the interior would seem to work well with what the Patriots have done in the past, but he’s a good enough athlete (5.05-second 40) to function in a zone scheme if the Patriots want to pivot in the future.
Day 2: Jalen Farmer, Kentucky
Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Jalen Farmer is a powerful blocker who will be just 21 years old on draft weekend.
At 6-foot-5, 312 pounds, Farmer isn’t the burliest player on this list. He is, however, another guard who will go as far as his power takes him.
A right-guard-only player at Kentucky over the last two seasons, he relishes the opportunity to finish — something that could endear him to a Vrabel-led coaching staff that preaches finishing longer than the ball-carrier on offense.
His quickness in tight spaces will limit him in pass protection, and his movement skills don’t scream “follow me!” in the screen game. But in a gap running scheme, there’s upside for a powerful player who will still be just 21 years old on draft weekend.
Day 3: Logan Taylor, Boston College
Peter Casey-Imagn Images
Peter Casey-Imagn Images Logan Taylor (65) was a senior captain for the Eagles and has been working with Dante Scarnecchia prior to the draft.
Vrabel will have great insight into what makes Taylor tick thanks to his relationship with Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien. The Patriots were well represented at BC’s pro day, too, and if they opted to invest in Taylor on Day 3, it would come as little surprise.
His size (6-foot-6, 316 pounds, 34-inch arms) gives him the look of an imposing tackle — and he could potentially give a team some snaps there at the next level. One of his top characteristics is his versatility since he started at every position other than center, including 26 starts at tackle and 23 at guard with the Eagles.
The senior captain has been working with legendary line coach Dante Scarnecchia prior to the draft and would be considered a culture add wherever he goes.
Day 3: Febechi Nwaiwu, Oklahoma
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Febechi Nwaiwu can play all three interior line spots and could be a super sub at the NFL level.
Nwaiwu was a North Texas transfer who showed up to Oklahoma and immediately became a staple on the interior of their line, starting 26 games over two years.
He has the kind of violent play demeanor that the Patriots would covet, and he’s thought to be the kind of person who would be a positive addition to any locker room environment. His nearly 35-inch arms allow him to play with patience and power, and he was penalized just once last season.
He’s not a fluid athlete, but he has legitimate pop in his hands to compete for a role along the interior — potentially as a super sub, who can play all three interior spots — at the next level.
Day 3: Jeremiah Wright, Auburn
Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Jeremiah Wright is a behemoth interior lineman (6-foot-5, 331 pounds) with NFL-ready power.
Wright reportedly made a 30 visit to Foxboro, and it’s easy to see why the Patriots would be interested in him. The 6-foot-5, 331-pounder is a behemoth interior lineman with two seasons of experience as the starter for the Tigers at right guard.
Against some of the best defensive linemen in the country, he flashed NFL-ready power on a regular basis, and his aggressive play demeanor helped him seek out opportunities for brutish finishes.
Can his work in pass protection improve with some time to develop under a capable coaching staff? If the Patriots think so, don’t be surprised to hear them call his name next weekend.
