Patriots 'Leaning' Toward Drafting Offensive Tackle Over Receiver?

If the New England Patriots decide to pass on a quarterback in the NFL Draft, one expert believes they should target an offensive tackle instead of a receiver.

As the NFL Draft draws nearer, with the beginning of the NFL Scouting Combine set for Thursday, there are a number of possibilities as to what the New England Patriots could do with the No. 3 overall pick. 

For one, they could keep their pick and potentially select their next franchise quarterback. Or they go a different direction and fill another position of need. Then, there is the possibility of trading the pick away and moving down the board. 

Which way will the Patriots go come the draft? Only time can tell. However, if the Patriots decide against drafting a quarterback and look to fill other needs, whether that be at No. 3 or by trading down, NFL.com's draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah feels that would create a whole new debate for New England. 

“In the tackle-wideout discussion, if it’s close, you go tackle early,” Jeremiah said in his pre-Combine conference call.

Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr (left) and Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt (right) / USA Today Network

“I feel a lot better about the third-round wideouts than I do about the third-round tackles. That to me would make that — I would lean more in that tackle direction early because in the third round you got some really, really interesting [receivers].”

That sentiment is reflected in Jeremiah's latest top-50 prospect rankings, where he included 12 total receivers compared to eight offensive tackles. However, three of those receivers, Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze, and Malik Nabers, finished in the top three. 

Contrastingly, just two offensive tackles, Joe Alt and Taliese Fuaga, are in Jeremiah's top-10. Combine that with the fact that Jeremiah has eight receivers ranked from No. 33-50, and you can see his point. 

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From the Patriots' perspective, it is hard to argue against Jeremiah's point. With both starting offensive tackles, Trent Brown and Michael Onwenu, currently set to hit the free agent market this offseason, that is a big need for New England, especially if they have to replace both. 

This would allow them to capitalize off the depth in the class at receiver, which, as shown by Jeremiah's rankings, is producing 12 of the top 50 players.

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