Patriots send offensive line, wide receivers coaches to Ohio State pro day

BOSTON -- As is the case every year, nobody on the planet knows what the Patriots will do in next month's NFL Draft. That may even include the Patriots themselves, as Bill Belichick likes to keep as many options open as possible at all times.

Still, everybody will try to figure out what the team may be thinking with regard to draft plans, and there was at least one large potential tip on that front on Wednesday.

With Ohio State holding its pro day for NFL-hopeful Buckeyes, the Patriots have sent their offensive line and wide receivers coaches to Columbus to scout. That's according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.

The Patriots, obviously, will always be doing their due diligence. And this may just be a part of that.

But the specifics of which coaches were sent to Ohio likely indicate that the team wants to take a close look at both offensive tackles Paris Johnson Jr. and Dawand Jones as well as wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Between the two tackles, Johnson is expected to be a first-rounder, while the larger Jones (6-foot-8, 374 pounds) is an intriguing potential pick either in the late first round or in the second round.

Smith-Njigba is one of several promising receivers in the draft, despite playing in just three games last season due to a hamstring injury. But his 2021 season is what stands out, as he led the Buckeyes with 95 receptions and 1,606 yards, while also scoring nine touchdowns. That was a receiving corps that included last year's Rookie of the Year in Garrett Wilson, and also Chris Olave. For Smith-Njigba to shine so brightly despite the rest of that talent around him shows what kind of playmaker he can be.

The Patriots currently own the No. 14 overall pick. From there, they could move up, they could move down, they could stay put. They could take a highly touted tackle out of a power five school, or they could take a largely unknown guard out of Chattanooga. You never can know.

For now, the world does know that the Patriots are doing their homework.