Mike Pennel: Patriots' best acquisition that no one is talking about

As OTAs wind down and we inch closer to training camp let's take time to look at the best move the New England Patriots made this offseason.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots offseason got off to a hot start when they sent a 2020 5th round selection to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for veteran defensive end Michael Bennett. 

This trade was just the beginning in what could go down as one of the more notable offseasons in recent memory for the Patriots. They replaced several key players and added depth at many other positions on the roster (albeit not at tight end). 

Let's first start off by recapping the highlights of New England's offseason. The Patriots drafted a wideout in the first round for the first time in Bill Belichick's tenure when they selected N'keal Harry. They also signed veteran wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, used a couple of draft picks to add depth to the offensive line, upgraded the running back group with the selection of Damien Harris, and added a reincarnation of Rob Ninkovich with their 77th overall pick in Chase Winovich.

When you take a look at the roster top to bottom it's easy to see that this team is deeper and more talented than it was going into the 2018 season. That's a scary thought considering this is the defending Super Bowl champions we're talking about.

While every offseason move listed above was excellent in its own right, none of them take the top spot for New England's best offseason acquisition. That spot would go to former New York Jets defensive tackle Mike Pennel.

Photo by Vincent Carchietta - USA TODAY Sports

Adding a defensive tackle may not be the sexiest move, but there's a reason why Pennel was ranked as PatriotMaven's second-best defensive tackle on the roster.

Pennel was a force for the Jets throughout the 2018 season, playing in all 16 regular season games. While he did not put up crazy numbers by any means, the 333-pound defensive tackle graded out as the 14th best interior defensive lineman in the entire league.

The #Patriots sign Mike Pennel, DI formerly of the #Jets.

- 2018 Set Career Highs in Snaps, Overall, Run D, and Pass Rush Grades
- 358 snaps, 87.1 Overall, 87.0 Run D, 73.5 Pass Rush
- 2018 Stats: 20 Defensive Stops, 22 Tackles, 2 QB Hits, 11 Hurries, 13 Total Pressures pic.twitter.com/ftTsE7eNAT

— PFF NE Patriots (@PFF_Patriots) March 16, 2019

Pennel is not a guy you should expect to be putting up double-digit sacks any time soon, but he is a player you can count on to be stout in the run game and more than able to take on his fair share of double teams. His ability to clog up run lanes makes him a linebacker's best friend so don't be surprised to see Pennel buddied up with guys like Dont'a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, and Ja'Whaun Bentley. 

You should expect Pennel to start alongside Lawrence Guy who graded out as the 10th best interior defensive linemen in the league last year. Both will surely give opposing offensive coordinators fits when as teams gameplan against them. Each defensive tackle commands a double team so offenses will have to pick their poison when deciding which player they prefer to block one on one.

The best part about adding Pennel via free agency is that he only cost the Patriots $5 million over two years. That is some serious value for a top 15 player at his position and essentially what makes this move the best the Patriots made all offseason.