By Jordan Long
The New England Patriots were hoping to fill two of their biggest needs, offensive line and quarterback, during the draft. They needed to replace offensive tackle Nate Solder who decided to sign with the New York Giants in the offseason. The Patriots were expected to take an offensive lineman during the 1st-round since they had the 23rd and 31st picks.
The Patriots used the 23rd pick on offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn. Wynn played his college football at the University of Georgia. He was a 3-year starter. Wynn fills the void on the offensive line. His size at 6 foot 2 inches and 302 pounds should help protect quarterback Tom Brady. Wynn will also be called on to block for running backs so they can run for yards. This was a decent pick by New England.
The Patriots were also looking to select a quarterback. On the roster the Patriots only had Tom Brady and Brian Hoyer. That wouldn’t have been enough to survive the season especially if Brady went down. New England waited until the 7th round and drafted Danny Etling.
Etling is locked in at the 3rd quarterback position and for now is the quarterback of the future. He played his college football between Purdue and LSU. He lasted 2 years at Purdue from 2013 to 2014. Etling passed for 2,490 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was having trouble protecting the football with 12 interceptions. Etling transferred to LSU and was the starter from 2016 to 2017. He elevated his game with 4,586 passing yards and 27 touchdowns. Etling protected the football with only 7 interceptions.
Etling has a bright future ahead of him. He played well at the college level. The Patriots must have liked what they saw on tape. Etling has to prove to the New England coaching staff he can handle the NFL game. Luckily he will have at least 3 or 4 years to do so.
Hopefully for New England Wynn and Etling become superstars in the NFL and lead them to another Super Bowl victory.
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