Entering the 2023 NFL Draft, offensive tackle was viewed as one of the New England Patriots’ biggest needs, if not the biggest. It was a position they had to address, if not with their first-round pick, then certainly on Day 2.
Instead, the Patriots went all seven rounds without drafting a single tackle. Twelve picks in all — the franchise’s most in any draft since 2010 — yet none to fill what many viewed as their most glaring roster hole.
Why? Because, according to director of player personnel Matt Groh, the Patriots believed they’d already assembled a solid depth chart through free agency and didn’t view the position as a draft-day priority.