The Patriots invested three draft picks in their offensive line in 2023.
The New England Patriots invested in the future of their offensive line in the 2023 NFL Draft, selecting three players to improve the group’s long-term outlook. Fourth-rounders Jake Andrews and Sidy Sow as well as fifth-round pick Atonio Mafi went on to see extensive action as rookies, starting a combined 19 games through the year.
Just like offensive line play in New England as a whole, their performance also was a mixed bag. That said, all three of them had some promising moments in their first season against pro-level competition.
Now heading into Year 2, the goal is to build on that. They need to recognize that as well, as team captain and starting center David Andrews pointed out.
“For these young guys, this offseason’s so huge for them,” Andrews said. “They’ll get a full offseason instead of seeing how fast they can run a 40-yard sprint and look good, and things like that. Now they get to really train, understand what it takes to play NFL football.”
An undrafted free agent in 2015, Andrews’ transition from rookie to sophomore was a successful one. After he already started 11 games in his first year, he won the starting center job over incumbent Bryan Stork the following offseason and never looked back.
The lessons he learned and experiences he went through in Year 1 served as a springboard for Andrews’ development. Now, he hopes the same will hold true for his young teammates.
“They’ve gotten a taste of it. ‘Alright, well, now I need to get stronger. I need to do this. I need to put more muscle on. I need to lean up. I need to gain weight.’ — whatever it is,” he said.
“That’s something I think I can talk to them about because I saw a lot of improvement, I felt like, in my first to second year. The game slows down a little bit, you’re starting to see, like, ‘Hey, this is what I got beat with. This is what I really did well. This is what I struggled.’ You start seeing all that.”
Of the Patriots’ three rookie linemen, Sidy Sow saw the most action in 2023. Despite originally working at right tackle during spring and summer, the 117th overall selection out of Eastern Michigan eventually settled into the starting right guard role and started the final 12 games of the year in that spot.
While he did have his ups and downs, Sow showed that he can hold his ground against NFL-level defenders particularly in the run game. He was recently named to Pro Football Focus’ All-Rookie Team as a result.
Jake Andrews and Atonio Mafi, meanwhile, have some ground to make up to reach the same level.
Andrews, picked 107th overall out of Troy, played only 71 offensive snaps all season. David Andrews being on the field for 100 percent of New England’s snaps limited the backup center’s opportunities, but the team also waited until the final two games of the season to put him on the field elsewhere; all of his snaps came at left guard.
Mafi, the 144th selection via UCLA, saw action at both left and right guard but struggled regardless of where he was used. Despite starting only five games, he ranked second on the team with 32 quarterback pressures given up and was also penalized a team-high five times.
Heading into his first full offseason, Mafi — just like Andrews and Sow — will have an opportunity to take his game to the next level. The circumstances of that process remain unclear considering the coaching transition the Patriots are currently going through, but the pressure is on all three of the youngsters to step up.
Or as David Andrews said: “It’s a big year for a lot of the young guys we have in our room.”
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