NFL Draft 2023: Patriots host 3 more offensive prospects on pre-draft visits

The New England Patriots’ list of pre-draft visits continues to grow.

Three more players, all on the offensive side of the ball, can now added to the list. Alabama offensive tackle Tyler Steen, Michigan wide receiver Ronnie Bell, and Harvard running back Aidan Borguet either have taken or will take Top-30 visits with the Patriots.

Steen started his career at Vanderbilt before transferring to Alabama prior to the 2022 season. Playing under now-Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, he started 13 games at left tackle and was named a second-team All-SEC selection. Per Pro Football Focus, he surrendered just two sacks on 498 pass block snaps.

The 6-foot-6, 321-pounder offers considerable experience, despite starting his college career on defense. However, he moved from the defensive to the offensive line ahead of his 2019 sophomore season and went on to start 46 games behind his time in Nashville and Tuscaloosa. He also offers some good size and athleticism, even though his arm length might prompt teams to move him to the inside at the next level.

Regardless of where he ends up, the 22-year-old projects as a mid-round selection.

Bell, meanwhile, is projected as a mid-to-late-round pick. Spending his entire five-year college career at Michigan, he was one of the team’s most productive wide receivers over that span: he led the team in receiving in three out of the last four seasons — the exception being 2021, when he played juste one game due to a torn ACL — and in total has ended his college career with 145 catches for 2,269 yards and nine touchdowns in 47 games.

The 6-foot-0, 191-pound wideout projects as a complementary Z-receiver at the next level, and offers some solid athletic traits. Tops among them was a 6.62-second three-cone drill at his Pro Day.

Borguet, on the other hand, will likely not get drafted. The Harvard product first met with the Patriots at the College Gridiron Showcase, and is now also visiting Gillette Stadium.

An early-down option, he carried the ball 206 times for 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022. Borguet offers some very good initial burst — he posted a 1.52-second 10-yard split at his Pro Day — and is strong as an ox as evidenced by his 35 reps on the bench, but still falls into the “developmental” category.

In total, the Patriots have now had 18 players in for Top-30 visits.