Patriots Prospect Preview: Four College Players To Watch In Week 9
Welcome to the Patriots Prospect Preview, our annual series where we talk about the club’s future picks before literally anyone else! It’s time for some more trench talk in Week 9.
The Patriots are in an enviable position entering the midway point of the regular season, as they’re anything but starved for immediate roster changes — which is the long way of saying that they’ve built a pretty decent squad.
I don’t think they’ll be resting on their laurels this offseason, though…
New England’s best course of action would be continuing to build depth in the trenches, which is why we decided to take each of the last two weeks to highlight some candidates to help do exactly that. Week 8 was all about defensive disruptors. Week 9 will be about the dudes tasked protecting the face of the franchise.
I’ve never heard of rostering too many starting-caliber offensive lineman — have you?
Carter Smith (#65), OT, Indiana
Week 9: vs. UCLA (12 p.m. ET on FOX)
The Indiana Hoosiers deserve your attention, as does the player who has anchored their offensive line for three seasons.
Carter Smith is the rare Ohio-born draft prospect who slipped the grasp of both Ohio State and Michigan, instead finding himself at an unheralded Indiana program that quickly rose to being ranked the No. 2 team in the nation in Week 8 of 2025.
Smith is a divisive prospect, but his loyalty to that program will earn him plenty of fans that wouldn’t mind bringing in a steady presence to compete for pretty much any role you have open.
Cade McConnell (#70), IOL, Vanderbilt
Week 9: vs. Missouri (3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN)
Cade McConnell might be suddenly familiar to those of you who pay attention to college football, as he became the sport’s most viral player last weekend with an unbelievable single rep against LSU.
If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and click here.
McConnell’s double stack came with plenty of adulation across the sport, but wasn’t some random outlier — it’s an encapsulation of who he is.
“It’s up there with the all timers,” Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea said of the rep, before adding some praise for the player. “We always talk about an offensive line as the group that kind of just works in the shadows and never gets credit. Now he’s become a sensation. Cade is a heartbeat in our program. He’s an emotional leader for us.”
McConnell is the definition of versatility, too, serving as one member of his program’s “strong side/quick side” offensive line that sets their alignments based on the boundary — meaning he’s played 198 snaps at left guard and 173 snaps at right guard. I can’t imagine that’ll hurt his draft stock…
Emmanuel Pregnon (#75), IOL, Oregon
Week 9: vs. Wisconsin (7 p.m. ET on FS1)
Wyoming, USC and Oregon have all enjoyed the success that comes with rostering Emmanuel Pregnon.
Pregnon, who has become a journeyman of sorts, is one of the more prolific interior offensive line prospects in the entire country, having allowed just three sacks across his time at three different programs. The Ducks have been especially happy with his placement alongside top prospect Iapani Laloulu, with both likely to hear their names called within the first two days on the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Patriots could use some added size between Garrett Bradbury/Jared Wilson and Will Campbell, so keep your eye on the biggest player on the field (6-foot-5, 320 pounds) between Oregon and Wisconsin.
Matt Gulbin (#51), IOL, Michigan State
Week 9: vs. Michigan (7:30 p.m. ET on NBC)
Matt Gulbin is the undisputed leader of one of the least steady offensive lines in college football, but don’t let that be too much of a drawback!
Gulbin’s teammates are… not very good, and the team captain continues to grade out as one of the best offensive lineman in the country despite their subpar support. I doubt there will be much focus on the center position this offseason, as the long-term option is currently playing left guard, but if the plans change perhaps this is a guy to keep your eye on.