The New England Patriots used their No. 23 overall pick in the NFL Draft to take offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn, which was a bit of a surprise. It was the first time the Pats have drafted an offensive lineman in the first round since Nate Solder in 2011. Solder ended up becoming a solid left tackle for the Patriots before departing for the New York Giants this offseason.

While there were some doubts as to Wynn’s ability to play left tackle in the NFL, Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia acknowledges that the Georgia product has a strong pedigree and will at the very least get his shot to fill Solder’s shoes.

“He's played left tackle in the best conference in America,” Scarnecchia said, per ESPN's Mike Reiss on Twitter. “Played it pretty good. We're going to take a look at it, and see how it goes.”

Article Continues Below

Some draft evaluators saw Wynn more as a guard due to his physical traits. He has experience playing inside after he started 12 games at left guard in 2016. But he also excelled when he was moved to left tackle last season as he earned first-team All-SEC and second-team All-American honors.

Wynn will get the chance to compete with veterans in Trent Brown, Matt Tobin, and LaAdrian Waddle for the starting left tackle job. Although, starting left guard Joe Thuney’s foot injury could see Wynn move inside if Thuney is forced to miss time.

But whether it’s to start the season or later on, the Patriots will likely give Wynn a shot to protect Tom Brady’s blindside. If he can take Scarnecchia’s coaching to heart, he may end up making the position his own as Solder did before him.