Patriots finally draft on offense with two of three fourth-round picks
The New England Patriots kicked off the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft by finally taking an offensive player. The Patriots selected Troy offensive lineman Jake Andrews with the 107th overall pick. New England had previously taken Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez, Georgia Tech defensive lineman Keion White and Sacramento State linebacker Marte Mapu on […]
The New England Patriots kicked off the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft by finally taking an offensive player.
The Patriots selected Troy offensive lineman Jake Andrews with the 107th overall pick. New England had previously taken Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez, Georgia Tech defensive lineman Keion White and Sacramento State linebacker Marte Mapu on the first two days of the draft.
Andrews played center at Troy in 2022 but previously started at right guard.
- Round 4, Pick 107: Troy C Jake Andrews
Andrews' positional coach last year was former Patriots offensive line coach Cole Popovich. He can back up Patriots starting center David Andrews and top guards Cole Strange and Michael Onwenu. At 6-foot-3, 305 pounds, Andrews, who played in the Senior Bowl, ran a 5.15-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. He allowed four sacks last season, per PFF.
From A To Z Sports' Tyler Browning:
"Andrews keeps his pad level low and gains leverage on a routine basis. Short arm length. Stays on his feet quite well. Very good hand placement, places them squarely on the breastplates. Power is the most questionable part of his game. Good football IQ, looks to help when he is left uncovered. Has some inconsistency when run blocking and being able to displace DTs from the LOS. Very good mover in space. Good footwork. Very underrated. 2nd round player in my books." - Round 4, Pick 112 (from New York Jets): Maryland K Chad Ryland
It’s slightly surprising to see the Patriots taking a kicker before a punter, but New England also had a need with Nick Folk, 38, getting up there in age. Ryland, an Eastern Michigan transfer, went 19-of-23 on field goals and 39-of-40 on extra points last season.
New England traded the 184th pick in the sixth round to move up from No. 120 to No. 112 to take Ryland. Michigan’s Jake Moody was the first kicker off the board. He wad drafted 99th overall by the San Francisco 49ers.
- Round 4, Pick 117: Eastern Michigan G Sidy Sow
It’s pretty shocking to see the Patriots take a second interior offensive lineman before selecting an offensive tackle. Sow played left guard at Eastern Michigan and is an elite athlete for his size. He ran a 5.07-second 40-yard dash at 6-foot-5, 323 pounds with a 32-inch vertical leap, 9-feet, 2-inch broad jump, 4.69-second short shuttle and 7.62-second 3-cone drill. Sow will be 25 years old before the 2023 season and started for five years. He let up just two sacks last season.
Sow is the third player drafted by New England this year with an relative athletic score over 9.7.
Featured image via Troy University Athletics
