The New England Patriots lost a key piece of their offensive line this offseason after left tackle Nate Solder left for the New York Giants in free agency. They also lost a potential in-house replacement in Cameron Fleming, who signed with the Dallas Cowboys.
The Patriots haven’t signed a clear-cut replacement for either in free agency, but perhaps they could target some in the draft. One potential option could be Texas offensive tackle Connor Williams, who will visit New England on Wednesday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports.
Speaking of the #Patriots, they are hosting #Texas OT Connor Williams today, I’m told. With two picks in the first round — and after watching Nate Solder leave for #NYG in free agency — this makes sense to explore.
Williams is widely considered one of the best offensive tackle prospects in this draft class. Pro Football Focus has him ranked as the second-best tackle behind Notre Dame’s Mike McGlinchey.
Williams does have his flaws, though, particularly his relatively short arms and his less than imposing strength. He’s coming off an injury-shortened year at Texas after hurting his knee and wasn’t having a stellar season prior to the injury.
However, he did play at an impressively high level in 2016 despite his physical shortcomings and is quite an athletic player for his size.
With four picks within the first two rounds of the draft, it certainly makes sense for the Patriots to check out whether it’s worth using one of those picks on a prospect like Williams. They need to make upgrades on their offensive line after losing Solder and Fleming, and the draft could be their best way to do so.
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