Replacing Trent Brown is a priority for the New England Patriots entering the 2024 NFL draft, perhaps why the team has “done a lot of homework on BYU offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia.”
That’s according to ESPN’s Jordan Reid, who believes Suamataia is someone to “keep an eye on” when the Patriots make the 34th-overall pick, the second selection of the second round. Reid thinks the case for Suamataia will be stronger “if the Pats do go QB in the first round.”
Going with a quarterback in the opening round is likely for the team owning the No. 3 pick this year. The choice puts the QB-needy Pats in range of some of the top passers in this class, including Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy.
Any one of those three would fill the void at football’s most important position for the Patriots. Yet, no member of the trio will succeed without a stable line in front of them, something the Pats still lack after Brown signed a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency.
Brown was far from elite at left tackle during his final season in New England, but he was still an experienced and physical presence. A prospect as versatile and powerful as Suamataia would be a worthy replacement.
Kingsley Suamataia Has Trent Brown-Like Traits
Suamataia shares a couple of useful traits with Brown, including comparative size. The younger tackle stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 326 pounds, compared to 6-foot-8, 370-pound Brown.
There’s a closer similarity when it comes to positional flexibility. Brown could play both sides of the line, and Suamataia “started 12 games at RT” in 2022, before playing “11 games at LT” a year later, per NFL.com’s Chad Reuter.
The Patriots would need Suamataia to lock down the left, since the right is secure thanks to the return of Mike Onwenu. Suamataia would fit as a blindside protector for a rookie passer after allowing just 13 pressures and 2 sacks from “364 pass-blocking snaps” last season, per PFF BAL Ravens.
Those numbers compare favorably to Brown, who gave up three sacks and 17 pressures in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus. Pass protection wasn’t always the strength of Brown’s game, though, with his massive frame often more useful knocking open running lanes.
Suamataia is also adept on the ground, demonstrating impressive move skills for a big man. Like when he pulled to lead the way for this touchdown run by LJ Martin.
The ability to move people in space might be the best recommendation for the Patriots taking Suamataia.
Kingsley Suamataia Fits Patriots Prototype
Director of Scouting Eliot Wolf can play a key role in the type of offensive tackles the Patriots might target in the draft. That’s according to NBCS Boston’s Phil Perry, who wrote a list of eligible linemen who are prototypes for Wolf.
Suamataia made the list because of a possible scheme fit: “For a Patriots team that could be emphasizing zone running, getting a player like Suamataia with those kinds of in-space movement skills, he could be a tremendous fit. He also might be available to the Patriots at No. 34 overall.”
A zone-based attack would be a departure from the power-style running game the Pats used to favor when Brown was in the trenches. New offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt saw the zone style work for the Cleveland Browns, and he’ll know the system requires more mobile blockers.
Suamataia meets the job description more than Brown, based on move skills highlighted by Devin Jackson of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Pairing Suamataia with a pro-ready, franchise quarterback would represent a major coup for the rebuilding Patriots. Those two picks alone would define the first draft of the post-Bill Belichick era and provide new head coach Jerod Mayo with an ample platform for success.
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