The New England Patriots need an injection of youth at offensive tackle, and they’re showing interest in an intriguing small-school prospect.

The Patriots will host North Dakota State offensive lineman Cody Mauch on a visit, a source told The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler.

North Dakota State OL Cody Mauch has Top 30 visits scheduled with the Patriots, Steelers, and Texans, per source.

Versatile lineman that does a lot of things well at a multitude of spots.

— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) March 31, 2023

Mauch, who’s 6-foot-5, 302 pounds, primarily played left tackle with the Bison but also took on snaps at guard and right tackle. With 32 3/8-inch arms, which are regarded as short for a tackle, some draft sites have him listed as a guard. He’s projected to be drafted in the second round.

The 24-year-old offensive lineman gave up just two sacks in his college career, per PFF. He allowed just nine total pressures as a senior in 2022.

The Patriots have 29-year-old Trent Brown and 34-year-old Riley Reiff slotted in as starters at offensive tackle right now. Calvin Anderson, 27, and Conor McDermott, 30, are the top backups.

If the Patriots can’t land one of the top offensive tackle prospects in the draft, like Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, Ohio State’s Paris Johnson, Georgia’s Broderick Jones or Tennessee’s Darnell Wright, then they might be best off waiting to take Mauch in the second round. That would allow New England to fill in a need at wide receiver or cornerback at No. 14 overall.

Mauch, who sports a signature grin that’s missing his front two teeth, ran a 5.08-second 40-yard dash with a 29-inch vertical leap, 9-feet broad jump, 4.55-second short shuttle and 7.33-second 3-cone drill.

If Mauch couldn’t earn a starting role over Brown and Reiff right away, then he could also serve as valuable depth behind guards Cole Strange and Michael Onwenu. Veteran James Ferentz is currently New England's top backup guard/center.