The Patriots took a swing at Ronnie Stanley. They made a run at Dan Moore Jr. They tossed in a bid for Cam Robinson.
Try as they might, they're still looking for a left tackle.
They could be forced to invest in one during the draft, where -- unfortunately for them -- surefire Day 1 starters at that position are lacking.
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Here we'll be trying to identify the best fits for the Patriots to play on Drake Maye's blind side. We'll be factoring in what we've heard from coaches and scouts, what coach Mike Vrabel appeared to value during his time in Tennessee, and what executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf has valued in the past given the role he's had in heading up the evaluation and grading of these prospects.
Vrabel doesn't have an extensive history of taking offensive linemen with first and second-round picks, but the ones the Titans selected with him as head coach were high-end athletes.
First-round pick Isaiah Wilson was considered to have quality movement skills despite his somewhat pedestrian 7.29 Relative Athletic Score. Early first-rounder Peter Skoronski was a better tester -- he recorded a RAS of 8.89 -- but had short arms and ended up kicking inside to guard. Second-rounder Dillon Radunz was the freakiest of the bunch based on his combine testing, with a 9.28 RAS and 34-inch arms.
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Similarly, Wolf and other executives from the Ron Wolf tree have preferred high-end athletes at the position in early rounds. They averaged a 8.38 RAS, a 9-foot broad jump and a 1.76-second 10-yard split.
Elite athletes are required, seemingly. Long arms? Not so much. And we know football character will matter as Vrabel gets his program off the ground in Foxboro.
Who fits the bill? Let's take a look, separating the prospects by the range in which it appears they'll be taken...
Day 1: Will Campbell, LSU
One of the best athletes in this year's class, Campbell's RAS score of 9.89 was eye-popping following this year's combine. He recorded an explosive 9-foot-5 broad jump and a 1.75-second 10-yard split. His arms were short enough (just over 32.5 inches) that some believe he'll be a better guard at the next level.
But his three years as a starter in the SEC, his movement skills and his intangible qualities have already garnered him fans at One Patriot Place. Vrabel taking him would be reminiscent of the Skoronski pick. If he doesn't work out at tackle, while that wouldn't be ideal, odds are he would be a high-end guard.
Day 1: Armand Membou, Missouri
Right there with Campbell athletically (9.89 RAS), Membou has had a wildly-impressive pre-draft process. Though he was sick for the Senior Bowl and couldn't participate, he still may end up a top-10 pick for a team looking for a right tackle.
He didn't play on the left due in part to Missouri having other options there -- 2024 fourth-round pick Javon Foster was the starter there, then SMU transfer Marcus Bryant took over last season -- but he looks like a ready-made starter on the right side. He's held his own against high-end competition. He's an NFL-caliber physical specimen. And his ceiling is, per scouts, higher than anyone else's at tackle.
Day 1: Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
Banks isn't the same type of athlete as the first two names mentioned here. But he still posted an "elite" RAS of 8.27 with 33.5-inch arms. Despite a rough day against Georgia edge rusher Jalon Walker last season, he has enough good tape to his name that he'll warrant a first-round pick.
In space, he's a coordinated athlete with great balance. Should the Patriots trade back in the first round, hoping to get their left tackle of the future somewhere other than No. 4 overall, Banks could be in play.
Day 1: Josh Simmons, Ohio State
Had it not been for a torn patellar tendon mid-season, Simmons might've been in play for the Patriots at No. 4 overall. He's that talented. A smooth athlete whose agility belies his 6-foot-5, 317-pound frame, Simmons is considered to have improved significantly since beginning his career at San Diego State.
His knee injury could make him available to New England in a trade up from their early second-round choice at No. 38. But they'll have to consider whether he's the right kind of fit for their program at this stage and if he'll be healthy enough for them to warrant that kind of investment.
Day 1: Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon
If level of competition matters to the Patriots, how Conerly performed against Penn State's Abdul Carter could make him a late first round possibility. He allowed zero pressures in that particular matchup last season. He went to the Senior Bowl and showed out, despite a viral moment where he was upended by Marshall's Mike Green while taking a rep at right tackle.
Over the breadth of the week, though, his foot quickness was on display. A former high-school running back, Conerly has the best 10-yard split of any lineman at the combine and will be just 21 years old on draft weekend.
Day 2: Aireontay Ersery, Minnesota
Ersery is a mountain of a man who looks like he'd fit in well in a hard-charging running game orchestrated by offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. The 6-foot-6, 331-pounder had an impressive combine, posting a 9.36 RAS thanks in part to an eyebrow-raising 1.74 10-yard split and a 9-foot-3 broad jump. Some teams may see him as a right tackle, but he played three years as the starter for the Gophers on the left side, and he could be available for New England early in the second round.
Day 2: Charles Grant, William and Mary
Grant has had a quiet pre-draft process, missing the Senior Bowl and not being able to test at the combine due to injury. But he's one of the most physically-impressive prospects in this year's class at the left tackle spot. At 6-foot-5, 311 pounds, he has almost 35-inch arms and 10-inch hands.
The former high-school wrestler will have to get accustomed to a much higher level of competition as a pro, but he has some craftiness to his game that might make teams interested in rolling the dice on him before the third round is through.
Day 2: Ozzy Trapilo, Boston College
There are all kinds of links connecting Trapilo to the Patriots. The Norwell, Mass. native and BC High product played last season under Bill O'Brien, who happens to be one of Mike Vrabel's closest friends in coaching. Patriots new offensive line coach Doug Marrone was also with the Eagles a season ago, giving the Patriots even further insight into Trapilo's day-to-day approach and demeanor.
Additionally, Trapilo is being trained by former Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia ahead of the draft. Trapilo happens to check the character and athletic boxes Vrabel is looking for as well; he recorded a 8.85 RAS after posting an 8-foot-10 broad jump and a 1.76-second 10-yard split in Indianapolis.
Day 2: Anthony Belton, NC State
Another big-bodied prospect at the position, Belton's frame (6-foot-6, 336 pounds, 34-inch arms) and explosiveness (8-foot-11 broad, 8.14 RAS) make him an intriguing fit at either tackle or guard in New England. Get him moving forward, and he has the ability -- and the attitude -- to put large humans on skates. Will he be viewed as nimble enough to handle left-tackle duties in Foxboro as he did at NC State? Maybe not, but he may be worth a dice-roll in the middle rounds for a team that could potentially use a swing tackle as well as a starter on the left side.
Day 3: Logan Brown, Kansas
A former five-star recruit, Brown has some physical traits that are hard to teach. His 9-foot-3 broad jump is indicative of legitimate explosiveness and helped him record an impressive 9.44 RAS. Brown has managed Type 1 diabetes while turning himself into a legitimate tackle prospect. The 6-foot-6, 311-pounder has 34-inch arms and began his career at Wisconsin, where he was dismissed from the team for an "internal incident," according to then-interim head coach Jim Leonhard.
He was a right tackle at Kansas last season, starting 11 games in his first collegiate season as a true starter, so there would be some projection involved if the Patriots had designs on playing him elsewhere. But his athletic traits could be worthy of a gamble so long as they're comfortable with his football-character fit.
Day 3: Carson Vinson, Alabama A&M
Another small-school prospect here with big-time athletic ability. His 9.44 RAS is one of the highest in the class, thanks in part to a 9-foot-3 broad hump and a 28.5-inch vertical. The 6-foot-7, 314-pounder has nearly 35-inch arms and over 10-inch hands, and he might be viewed as a developmental option late on Day 3, but he's a coordinated athlete with the ability to get on the move in the running game, ready-made power, and an appetite for finishing blocks. He'll need some coaching as a pro, but perhaps Doug Marrone sees something in Vinson that would indicate he's a future contributor if given time to blossom.
Day 3: Myles Hinton, Michigan
Another mountain of a man for this list, Hinton measured in at the combine at 6-foot-7, 323 pounds and with 34-inch arms. His 31.5-inch vertical jump was among the best in this year's class, and he displayed good athleticism in space for the Wolverines last season. The Stanford transfer played on both sides of the line at Michigan, and he has the kind of reputation that would indicate he would be the culture fit Vrabel is looking for.
Day 3: Jalen Travis, Iowa State
This Senior Bowl invite checks a number of boxes from a physical standpoint. His 9.91 RAS is sky high thanks to massive jumps of 9-foot-4 in the broad and 35 inches in the vertical. Travis transferred to the Cyclones after finishing his undergrad degree in anthropology at Princeton, which would lead you to believe he'll be able to comprehend whatever his coaching staff will throw at him as he adjusts to life as a pro.
Day 3: Hollin Pierce, Rutgers
Pierce checked in at the combine at 6-foot-8, 341 pounds. Sensing a theme here? Late in the draft, it's worth taking a crack at some hard-to-find traits, and there ain't many linemen who look like Pierce. He started at tackle for four years for the Scarlet Knights, using his 36-inch arms in an extraordinarily controlled manner, picking up just four penalties in over 3,000 snaps, according to NFL Media's Lance Zierlein. He won't bring with him the kind of athletic traits the Patriots hold in high regard at the position, but his next-level size could make him worth a late-round flier.
Day 3: Caleb Rogers, Texas Tech
Rogers would fall more in the Skoronski bucket of offensive line prospects who might interest the Patriots. Great athlete. Not long. His 9.34 RAS -- bumped up due to a 34-inch vertical and a 9-foot-3 broad jump -- was excellent, but his arms measured under 32.5 inches. The 6-foot-5, 313-pounder could very well kick inside to guard, but he started 52 games at tackle over the course of his career (16 on the left, 36 on the right). A five-year starter and captain, he'd make sense for the Patriots as a versatile super-sub option in the later rounds.