The Patriots addressed their offensive line with their second pick in the 2016 NFL draft, selecting Joe Thuney of NC State with the 78th overall selection. Thuney is 6′ 5″, 304 pounds and played all over the line, starting at every spot before spending his senior year at left tackle.
I missed on Thuney on my big board because he was often projected to guard, but obviously his versatility stands out so who knows exactly where he will end up with the Patriots. The fun part for me is now to take a long hard look at him and figure where I think he fits.
The biggest question is how athletic he is. I wanted an athletic tackle at the top of this draft but I’m not sure if we have one. If Thuney needs to go inside to guard he can certainly backup a number of positions, but the Pats already have good young depth at guard and center.
So for the second time tonight the concern is that Thuney, like Jones, is a bit redundant to what the Pats already have. But given what Dante Scarnecchia has done with far less in the past, Thuney could surprise his critics.
He also seems incredibly bright, solving Rubik’s cubes no prob and killing the Wonderlic:
Fast fact on OT Joe Thuney (78th overall): He scored a 39 on his Wonderlic test, according to NFL draft analyst Nolan Nawrocki. #NEPick
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) April 30, 2016
There was an unquestionable need and if Thuney can fit in as a tackle, he could have an opportunity to start before long. Clearly the Pats see something in him that most other scouting outlets haven’t, at least ranking him higher than most, but I’ll go with the Pats opinion over all else. We’ll see how he fits in.
1 for 2 on my top 50 big board now.
