Related: Patriots draft Michigan OL Andrew Stueber with the 245th overall pick
The New England Patriots wrapped up their 2022 draft the way they started it: by selecting an offensive lineman. The seventh-round counterpart to first-round pick Cole Strange is a tackle out of Michigan brought aboard with the 245th overall selection.
Let’s get to meet the player in question; let’s get to meet Andrew Stueber.
Hard facts
Name: Andrew Stueber
School: Michigan (RS-Senior)
Position: Offensive tackle/Guard
Opening day age: 23
Size: 6065, 325 lbs, 34 1/8 arm, 79 7/8 wingspan, 10 hand
Measurements: N/A 40-yard dash, 24 1/2” vertical jump, 8’5” broad jump, 4.90 short shuttle, 7.94 3-cone, 18 bench press
Player profile
Career: The college recruitment process went as planned for Stueber, who committed to the University of Michigan — the school he rooted for growing up — before his senior year in high school. He saw only minimal action in his first three years in Ann Arbor, including a redshirt season due to a torn ACL in 2019, but by his junior campaign in 2020 had established himself as a starter along the team’s offensive line.
Stueber went on to start 20 games over his final two collegiate seasons, earning second-team All-American and third-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior in 2021. In total, he appeared in 34 games as a Wolverine, with 22 of them as a starter at either right tackle or right guard.
Strengths: Praised for his high football IQ and leadership skills, Stueber has a good foundational understanding of both run blocking and pass protection. He also offers some intriguing size at 6-foot-6, 325 pounds with 34 1/8-inch arms.
Weaknesses: Stueber’s fluidity on the edge is suspect, which in turn might lead to him being moved to the interior at the next level. He also needs to get more consistent with his pad level and at preventing penalties.
Patriots preview
What is his projected role in New England? Stueber spent most of his college career at tackle, but the Patriots might give him a close look at guard as well. Either way, his versatility and experience in both spots will likely allow him to end up as a hybrid offering depth and a potential long-term perspective at either position.
Where does he fit on the offensive line depth chart? The Patriots’ starting five appear to be set heading into 2022, which means that Stueber will compete for a backup spot behind them. His positional flexibility should help him but he still needs to prove himself versus fellow tackle/guard hybrids such as William Sherman and Yasir Durant. Either way, the best-case outlook for his rookie year appears to be him becoming RT2 behind Trent Brown and/or OG3 behind Cole Strange and Michael Onwenu.
Does he have positional versatility? Stueber started 20 games at right tackle during his time in college, as well as two more at right guard. He furthermore took snaps at center during practices at the Senior Bowl during the pre-draft process. While there are some questions about his ability to play all five spots along the line at an NFL-caliber level, versatility is certainly one of his strengths and what might allow him to make the Patriots’ roster.
What is his special teams value? Just like virtually all other offensive linemen in the NFL, Stueber’s contributions in the kicking game will be limited. He will exclusively be used as part of the protection team on field goals and extra point attempts, and not see any action on the coverage or return squads.
One-sentence verdict: Stueber will likely not enter the Patriots’ starting lineup anytime soon, but he has some value as a positionally flexible backup option.