The Patriots spent the offseason rebuilding their offensive line, and the work has already changed the shape of the depth chart. Garrett Bradbury was traded to the Chicago Bears for a fifth-round pick, Jared Wilson moved from left guard to center after starting there as a rookie, and Alijah Vera-Tucker was added to handle left guard. Mike Vrabel also publicly backed Will Campbell to stay at left tackle, while New England reinforced the group by trading up for Caleb Lomu in the first round and taking Dametrious Crownover in the sixth, a prospect with an 86-inch wingspan.
On paper, that should leave the Patriots in much better shape in 2026. The starting five looks difficult to crack unless injuries open the door, with Lomu as the top tackle backup and Ben Brown, who signed an extension, positioned as the top interior reserve.
Beyond that, the competition gets crowded fast. Crownover is battling 2025 seventh-round pick Marcus Bryant and veteran James Hudson at tackle, while Sebastian Gutierrez and International Pathway Player Lorenz Metz are also on the roster.
Inside, the drop-off after Brown is noticeable, though Andrew Rupcich has gotten early looks in camp. Caedan Wallace, who moved inside last season, sits in the same tier as UDFA JonDarius Morgan and Mekhi Butler when it comes to making the team.
That’s where Jacob Rizy enters the picture. The undrafted rookie out of Harvard and Florida State has the kind of versatility that can make a coach’s decision a lot easier, and ESPN’s Mike Reiss named him as one of five players who could make a Rob Ninkovich-level leap this offseason. Rizy’s college path was all over the line: he played 66 snaps as a freshman at Harvard, all inside; started 10 games at right tackle in 2022; moved to left tackle in 2023; then transferred to Florida State.
His final two seasons at Florida State showed that flexibility in full. In 2024, he played six games and started five, logging 311 snaps with 197 at right guard, 64 at left guard and 50 at center. In 2025, he played 396 offensive line snaps, with 309 at guard, and his two starts came at different spots - Week 7 against Pitt at right tackle and Week 13 against NC State at left guard.
That kind of range matters in New England’s current setup. Reiss noted that Rizy has been working early in camp as the third-string center, and if he keeps stacking good days, he has a real shot to push for the 53-man roster. There’s also a possible runway for playing time along the interior over the next 18 months, especially with Vera-Tucker having played in only half of his career games, Wilson still untested at center in the NFL, and Mike Onwenu set to hit free agency after the year.
Rizy’s numbers back up the appeal. In 713 snaps at Florida State, he was flagged once, gave up two sacks and posted a 3.7% pressure rate.
He finished 2025 with an 86.2 PFF pass block grade, and his Relative Athletic Score of 9.88/10.00 ranks second among all Patriots rookies in 2026, behind only Lomu. He was also the fifth-ranked athlete among all guards in the class.
Whether that translates into a roster spot is still to be determined, but Rizy has already put himself on the radar. With his versatility and athletic profile, he’s the kind of lineman who can keep climbing if camp keeps going his way.
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The Patriots used a seventh-round pick on linebacker Quintayvious Hutchins in the 2026 NFL Draft, but his path to making an impact already looks steep. He has had a quiet offseason, and with a crowded linebacker room around him, there has not been much early evidence that he can separate himself before camp even opens.
Namdi Obiazor, a sixth-round rookie, is among the players adding to that pressure, and Hutchins will need a strong summer just to get back into the conversation. He is also dealing with an off-field situation that could influence his availability, leaving him with plenty to sort through before the Patriots decide how serious a roster contender he really is. [Read more 🡒]