The New England Patriots could be a possible fit for Arizona State OT Max Iheanachor. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported this on Monday.
Iheanachor has a bit of a unique history with the Patriots. He and coach Mike Vrabel, went viral after the latter was extremely active in Arizona State Iheanachor’s pro day. It was evident that Vrabel, and other coaches on the Patriots staff liked what the lineman brought to the table. Now, it looks as though they are viewed as a potential fit for each other, with the first round of the draft occurring on Thursday.
Schefter elaborated more on his line of thinking on Monday afternoon.
“I have a sense the Patriots might have some interest in him. They have to operate under the assumption that AJ Brown’s gonna be coming in, so they’re gonna be in a good spot.”
Patriots Target Has Elite College Credentials
Iheanachor is a player who blossomed at the college level wherever he went. He began playing college football at the junior college level, playing at East Los Angeles College in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He was originally a tight end, and he transitioned to the offensive line in 2022. From there, he began to establish himself as a top offensive lineman.
He got his first big break at Arizona State, partly due to injuries. He started in five of six games and logged over 300 snaps without recording a sack. Nevertheless, it gave the coaching staff a preview of what was to come. He saw his role expand, and it paid off in a big way.
2024 was when he really began to break out. He started all 14 games at right tackle and was part of a productive Sun Devils offensive line that paved the way for Cam Skattebo. He allowed only three sacks in the 2024 season and recorded 923 steps in total. Although it wasn’t his best season at the Sun Devils, it allowed him to gain further traction.
Iheanachor’s senior year was a culmination of his first couple of seasons with the Sun Devils. He earned Second-Team All-Big 12 honors after putting together a strong year. Lineman allowed zero sacks in 484 pass-blocking snaps. He recorded a 98.5 pressure efficiency rate, which translated to only 11 quarterback hurries and three quarterback hits.
Patriots Need To Assess Future Of Line
Now, he is looking to become an anchor for a team in the NFL. This is where he could really benefit the Patriots. The team has strong depth at the tackle position as of now. Morgan Moses is expected to come back, which will be a big boost to the line. Moses is 35 years old. Even though he had a strong season last year, the Patriots are going to need to develop someone at the tackle position. Iheanachor could be that guy.
The Patriots hosted a variety of Top 30 visits with multiple players from multiple sides of the football. It all comes down to Thursday and what the team wants to do. Iheanachor could be a very solid option for a team that is looking to continue building out the trenches. It will be interesting to see what the Patriots do in this situation and how they attack the first round. They have multiple different directions they can go in on Thursday night, and several areas in which they could improve the team.
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