Fixing the offensive line should be near the top of the to-do list for the New England Patriots, even if an unlikely prospect, Armand Membou, is “putting himself in contention” to be selected fourth overall in the 2025 NFL draft.
That’s the view of Chad Graff of The Athletic. He captioned his opinion about Membou, who has been one of the stars at the annual Scouting Combine, around a post from Graff’s colleague Dane Brugler about the Missouri right tackle putting “up 31 reps (!) on the bench press this morning. No. 1 among OTs, No. 4 among all Combine participants.”
Using the No. 4 pick to take Membou would be a reach for some, but Brugler is a fan of the prospect. He also noted how he thinks “Membou would be a terrific guard. But I don’t know why we’re moving him – the tape shows high-level tackle traits. Was my No. 8 overall player in last month’s top-100.”
If Membou stays at tackle, he’d offer the Patriots an obvious alternative to LSU’s Will Campbell, who’s long been favored as the fourth pick. The latter has been the consensus top offensive tackle in this year’s draft class, but concerns about his arm length could hurt Campbell’s stock and make him too much of a risk for the Pats.
That risk is worth avoiding, but not at the expense of declining to dedicate premium draft capital to strengthening the line in front of budding franchise quarterback Drake Maye.
Armand Membou’s Performance Can Alert Patriots
Buzz is growing for Membou to wind up with the Patriots. Aside from Graff, NFL.com Draft Analyst Lance Zierlein also thinks “LSU product Will Campbell is tough, but so is Membou — and the Missouri tackle has less technique to clean up. Let’s put a new face into the fourth pick of the draft, giving New England the best offensive lineman on my board.”
Membou deserves to at least be in the conversation as a potential top-five pick. His numbers from last season merit that status, per PFF College.
🐯 411 Pass Block Snaps 🐯 Zero Sacks Allowed 🐯 Zero QB Hits Allowed 🐯 87.5 Run Block Grade
@MizzouFootball
Putting Membou at right tackle would lock down one side of the O-line for the Patriots. They could pair the 20-year-old physical specimen with guard Mike Onwenu, who is still a force, despite some erratic performances after sliding inside last season.
Membou could exceed Owenu thanks to a rare mix of power and speed. He showed off the latter trait with a 4.91 40-yard dash time in Indianapolis.
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Putting Membou’s athleticism and aggression on the right wouldn’t solve the Pats’ issues on the blindside. Yet, drafting Membou would leave the Patriots free to address left tackle in free agency.
A veteran like Baltimore Ravens All-Pro starter Ronnie Stanley is somebody “the Patriots would be comfortable signing,” according to the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed.
Stanley’s an option, albeit an expensive one with a market value projected by Spotrac.com at $20.7 million annually, and the Patriots have a plethora of needs across the roster. Issues like cornerback, the defensive line, linebacker and wide receiver.
Those needs could make taking a natural left tackle like Campbell too good to resist.
Patriots Still Like Will Campbell
There are question marks about Campbell. Notably, how his “arm length comes in at 32 5/8 inches. For a lot of teams, tackles must have at least 33 inch arms,” per Graff.
Interestingly, Graff also pointed out Patriots head coach “Mike Vrabel doesn’t seem to subscribe to that belief (see Skoronski, Peter).”
Graff’s view is similar to a report from MassLive.com’s Karen Guregian, Mark Daniels and Chris Mason. They noted that “while LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell’s NFL position has been hotly debated, the Patriots see him as a tackle — arm measurements be damned. Campbell has fans in the organization, as does Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham. Both are possibilities at No. 4.”
The mention of Graham is significant because the Pats have already met with the stud defensive lineman. There’s a space for the natural game-wrecker after the decision to allow nose tackle Davon Godchaux to seek a trade.
Graham makes sense as an infusion of first-round level talent for a changing defense, but Campbell or Membou would have a similar impact on the other side of the trenches.
Combine Star Entering ‘Contention’ to Be No. 4 Pick for Patriots