4 Offensive Tackles The Patriots Could Draft In 2025

By Rhys Knott

If Patriots GM Eliot Wolf is feeling pragmatic when the draft takes place in Green Bay (where his father was GM) he’ll trade back, gather more picks and patch up as many of the holes in his roster as possible. But this is the Patriots front office who in 2024 managed to construct a roster with multiple generic “offensive linemen” and zero left tackles. Mike Vrabel isn’t going to let that sort of thing fly in 2025. 

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Some people on social media will tell you Drake Maye is the most exciting young quarterback in the NFL, those people are a few sandwiches short of a picnic. But Maye is definitely young and he has the chance to become as exciting (if not as successful) as Jayden Daniels. But he needs more help than the Patriots organisation has given him so far. 

Whether or not the new Patriots regime is as convinced by Drake Maye as their predecessors were will be fascinating. Whoever they play at quarterback, they have to sign at least one left tackle this year.  

11 left tackles will hit free agency in March, but five of those are over the age of 30, and none of them fall into the “reliable” category. With two young quarterbacks on the roster, it makes sense to draft a rookie to develop alongside Maye and Bazooka Joe.  

Luckily for Wolf and Vrabel, there is plenty of depth in the 2025 offensive tackle draft class.

Josh Simmons, Ohio State

Every team needs a Josh Simmons at left tackle. He’s so strong it’s almost impossible to shed one of his blocks. Only a knee injury could derail his 2024 season, but he will be fully healthy before the start of preseason.   

The injury will be a concern for some teams because his fluent movement and explosion out of his stance are his best qualities. But Josh Simmons, with a torn patella tendon, is still better than any of the Patriots’ current left tackle options. He projects as a top-16 pick, but he is absolutely worth the gamble.

A California native, Simmons began his college career at San Diego State, transferring to Ohio State in 2023. He played in 32 games during his three-year college career and didn‘t allow a single sack on the 306 snaps he played in 2024!

Will Campbell, LSU

Campbell is very much the Marmite pick in the 2025 draft class. Physically, he has everything you could want in a left tackle, but some believe he will become a guard. He’s big, strong, and moves well enough to push pass rushers wide to buy his quarterback time. 

Even though Campbell is projected as a top-six pick, the 21-year-old isn’t the most polished pass blocker. He can miss with his hands when making his initial block and end up grabbing defenders. It’s widely believed this is because he has shorter arms than most elite tackles. One thing is for sure, that sort of inaccuracy and grabbing is going to draw a lot of flags in the NFL. 

Louisiana native Campbell only allowed five sacks during three seasons in college, and PFF gave him an 80.0 grade for run blocking on both inside-zone and duo runs. But his overall grade last season was just 72.2. The Patriots’ current left tackle, Vederian Lowe received a 54.0 grade in 2024, so Campbell would be a significant upgrade.

Jack Nelson, Wisconsin

New England should really address the left tackle problem in the first round. But if they trade back or decide there are more pressing issues, there will be talented blindside blockers in the later rounds. After all, any left tackle is better than none. 

Nelson is tall, really tall. He’s listed as 6-feet-7, but he is lighter than Campbell at 316 pounds. As a result, Nelson, whose father and younger brother also played offensive tackle for the Badgers is surprisingly mobile. His 40-yard time at the combine is going to surprise some of the more cynical scouts. 

The Wisconsin native isn’t as aggressive as the guys available in the earlier round, preferring to wait for defenders to engage with him. But once he is involved with a defender, it’s like trying to disengage from a 6-foot-7 octopus. 

Some projections expect Nelson to be picked in the sixth round, but that seems low. If he performs well at the combine, he could be a second-day pick.

Jalen Travis, Iowa State

Travis is simply huge! Truly massive, like Nelson, he stands 6 feet 7 tall, but the Princeton graduate weighs 24 pounds more than his Wisconsin counterpart! That’s usually a red flag, but Travis moves like a much smaller athlete. 

Unsurprisingly, the former basketballer has exceptional reach and great footwork for a big man. He is one of those “low floor, high ceiling” guys, but there’s a chance he’s the new Joe Alt (that’s really more of a vaulted ceiling). Current predictions expect him to be picked somewhere between the fourth and seventh rounds. He has had injury concerns in college, but if Travis has a stellar combine, his stock will rise. 

By the end of his career at Princeton, Travis was rated as the top offensive tackle in FCS football. PFF graded his overall blocking at 91.6! Last season, he allowed just one sack on 475 snaps as an Iowa State Cyclone. The hesitancy surrounding the standard of opposition he has faced is understandable, but there’s nothing to suggest he can’t step up. Travis could be the steal of the 2025 draft. 

RHYS KNOTT

NFL/FANTASY FOOTBALL ANALYST

Rhys has been watching the NFL for 30 something years and still hasn’t managed to pick a team to support. When he’s not fixatED on pass rushers you can find him blithering on about most sports on Twitter @wrhys_writes

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