In race to replace Nate Solder at left tackle, new guy Trent Brown is a sizable presence

Trent Brown has only been in New England for a week, but he’s already set a new franchise record.

Brown, who was acquired in a deal with the Niners on draft weekend, is one of the biggest individuals in the history of the Patriots. Listed as 6-foot-8 and 355 pounds, he’s tied with Nate Solder, Sebastian Vollmer, Wesley Britt and Scott Rehberg (an offensive lineman who played in New England in 1997 and 1998) as the tallest player in franchise history.

He’s listed at 355 pounds on Pro Football Reference, which would make him one of the largest guys in the history of the franchise. (Defensive tackle Ted Washington, who played for the Patriots in 2003, set the mark when he officially tipped the scales at 365 pounds.)

In his first session with the New England media on Thursday, Brown said his size has never impacted his play or conditioning.

“I move well for a big guy,” he said. “I don’t know if you’ve seen.”

He also dismissed critics who said his size negatively affected his play last season with San Francisco.

“If you watch the film, I don’t think it will show (that),” he said of the 2017 season, a year where he was having the best year of his career before he went down. “I still did my job at a high level.”

He said the Patriots haven’t put a specific target weight in mind.

“They just said I could get wherever I feel comfortable,” he said.

How low is that?

“As low as I can be,” he replied. “We’ll see.”

Brown is one of several individuals vying for the left tackle position. Following the departure of Solder in March, the Patriots are basically treating the spot like they did with the wide receiver position a few years ago, where they sign as many different guys as possible and use the spring and summer sessions to figure out who can play and who can’t.

For his part, Brown has a resume that includes experience at left and right tackle, although it’s more of the latter than the former.

“I’ve always played both sides,” he said. “I started off playing college left. I played left in high school. I really started playing right when I got to the University of Florida. But, switching sides has never been a real big issue for me.”