At this point, Patriots fans have understandably moved on from even thinking of former first-round tackle Isaiah Wynn. Following a lackluster and (unsurprisingly) injury-plagued 2022 campaign, Wynn is now a free agent looking for a new home after falling out in Foxborough.
NFL.com's Nick Shook suggested Thursday that Josh McDaniels and the Raiders, who have been all too happy to collect every cast-off from the Patriots (including receiver Jakobi Meyers), could be a landing spot for Wynn sooner rather than later.
"The Raiders have their quarterback. Now they need to address the offensive line, specifically the revolving door that has existed at right tackle. Wynn spent most of 2022 at the position for the Patriots, making for an easy transition in Las Vegas. He'll have some familiarity with the Raiders, too, thanks to the presence of Josh McDaniels, who has already spent plenty of time this offseason reuniting with former Patriots in Las Vegas. This fit makes too much sense," Shook wrote.
Great…what does that have to do with the Patriots?
Potentially a lot, especially when it comes to the NFL Draft.
Wynn, despite his inconsistencies in New England, is actually a pretty solid player when healthy, with last year being his only truly bad year as a pro. (Maybe Matt Patricia and a position switch had something to do with that.)
He could certainly help a few teams as a stop-gap at left or right tackle, including the Raiders and the Chicago Bears, whose general manager Ryan Poles was front-and-center to watch Paris Johnson Jr.'s Pro Day workouts at Ohio State on Wednesday. Both of those teams happen to be picking ahead of the Patriots in the 2023 NFL Draft and are looking for offensive tackles to protect their quarterbacks.
As such, Patriots fans should be rooting for Wynn to sign with one of those teams -- or another one picking ahead of them in the draft. That scenario could push one of the top three offensive tackles (Paris Johnson Jr., Broderick Jones or Peter Skoronski) and perhaps another good non-tackle (Devon Witherspoon, Christian Gonzalez or Jaxon Smith-Njigba) closer to New England's pick at No.
14 overall.
Getting one of the top three tackles -- even Skoronski, who might end up best as a guard -- would be a coup for the Patriots. At the worst, still having the option of taking one of the top two corners or the best receiver in the draft could afford them strong options to either select or use as leverage to trade down and grab more picks along with a late-first-round tackle, defensive lineman or perhaps even Zay Flowers.
Wynn might not have done as much as Patriots fans wanted for the franchise on the field. But there's a chance he could still help his old team depending on where he goes next.