Patriots Eye Max Iheanachor for Right Tackle

0:00On April 9, the New England Patriots might grab another offensive tackle in the first round of this year's NFL Draft, just one year after taking. Will Campbell forth overall to lock down left tackle. With their 31st pick, their eyeing Max Ihanakor from Arizona State, a 22-year-old beast at 6-foot-5-321. Pounds, who ran a 4.91 in the 40 and crushed 25 bench reps at the combine. Ihanakor didn't even pick a football until after high school, coming from Nigeria at 13, trying soccer and basketball first before bulking up. From tied in to tackle at East Los Angeles College, he transferred to Arizona State. Start at 31 of 32 games over two years, earned second team all big 12 honors and shown at the senior bowl after a 30 visit with the pets. Fans and scouts love his power in the run game, elite athleticism, and zero-sacks allowed last season against tough defenses like Texas Tech.

1:00But he's raw from late start, sometimes gets fooled by stunts or bullrushed if his hand slip. Still, his upside has him ranked around 36 overall, perfect for New England's right tackle void. The patch showed real interest, with Mike Vrable working him out at Pro Day, seeing him as Morgan Moses' successor, the 35-year-old vet who's solid now but fading soon. Ihanakor could learn behind him, maybe mix in as a jumbo tied in, building that positional versatility he flashed early on. In this deep tackle class, grabbing him at 31 fits the patch's plan to rebuild the line long term, turning raw tools into a franchise anchor. Before Moses rides off, I'm Cory with the story. That's your NFL News Today update, AI-powered and always on.