After being the first pick (23rd overall) by the New England Patriots in the 2018 NFL Draft, there were high hopes for Isaiah Wynn. The Georgia product was coming off a season in which he was one of the SEC's best linemen and the Patriots viewed him as a potential replacement for the departed Nate Solder at left tackle.
However, Wynn's rookie season came to a premature end after he tore his Achilles in the preseason. Despite that injury, Wynn never got discouraged.
“I got over the disappointment fairly quickly,’’ Wynn said following a minicamp practice last month, per Jim McBride of The Boston Globe. “You know, you can’t sit there and dwell on your sorrows or whatever. Everything happens for a reason.’’
And even better, Wynn managed to find some positives about his first year despite not getting to play. And now, he's very much looking forward to being back.
“Just being here with the team was an education,’’ said Wynn per McBride. “There’s no sense of sitting around feeling sorry for yourself when the rest of the team is out there grinding and working hard. So, I just wanted to get back, you know. It feels good to be back out here working with these guys.’’
Wynn will get a chance to prove himself a capable starter during training camp and the preseason. Given that the Patriots lost Trent Brown in free agency to the Oakland Raiders, there is a hole at the left tackle position that Wynn was in the running for last year. He could end up earning that job, but he isn't particularly worried about where he ends up playing.
New England Patriots
“(I'll play) wherever the team needs me,’’ Wynn said per McBride. “I’m just working every day to be that guy who can be dependable to the coaches, the team, and just the whole organization.’’
That certainly sounds like the response the Patriots are looking for. But since that the Patriots are thin at tackle, the left tackle job should be Wynn's to lose -- provided that he's healthy enough to start the season. No matter what, Wynn has the right attitude and should be an asset for the Patriots in his second season.
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