The Patriots and Niners have agreed to a trade that would send offensive tackle Trent Brown and pick No. 143 overall to New England in exchange for the No. 95 pick overall, according to ESPN.
In what seems like a quest for the Patriots to pick up every available tackle on the market, Brown will likely join a rapidly expanding field of candidates to take over for Nate Solder at left tackle. So what sort of player are the Patriots getting in Brown? Here’s a thumbnail sketch:
Brown is a 6-foot-8, 355-pounder who was a seventh-round pick of the Niners in 2015 out of Florida. He’s started 28 games in his three years with San Francisco, including 10 in 2017. Brown has experience at both tackle spots, but likely became expendable after San Francisco drafted Mike McGlinchey in the first round Thursday night.
Entering the final year of his rookie deal, the 25-year-old has struggled with a variety of issues to this point in his career that has apparently kept him from reaching his full potential. That includes health and conditioning, specifically his weight and a torn labrum sustained in 2017. (For what it’s worth, San Francisco GM John Lynch said Brown would be ready for 2018.) It’s also worth noting Pro Football Focus said he was having the best year of his career before he went down with a shoulder injury last season.
It also appears that Patriots owner Robert Kraft might have tipped folks off to the deal at a media availability Friday afternoon.
Kraft just announced that the @Patriots just traded for an offensive lineman from the West coast.... pic.twitter.com/bazUUV6pWM
— Meredith Gorman (@MereGorman) April 27, 2018