Pats take Wynn at No. 23 – is he their next left tackle?

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FOXBORO -- There's a reason Isaiah Wynn made our list of Prototypical Patriots last week. 

He played against the best of the best as Georgia's left tackle in 2017 and left guard in 2016. He started all 15 games for last season's SEC champs. Wynn has experience in pass protection and as a space-clearer in the running game, and his tape shows he's an NFL athlete. His technique on the edge is pro-ready, and Dante Scarnecchia shouldn't have to spend all that much time with Wynn overhauling his approach.

The Patriots have a glaring need at tackle so for the Patriots to nab Wynn at No. 23 . . . great pick, right? Maybe. But Wynn was a Patriots "prototype" at guard. 

He measures in at a shade under 6-foot-3, and his hands are a full inch smaller (8 1/2 inches) than what the Patriots have typically sought in their draft picks on the line. His arm length is 33 1/2 inches, which is more than good enough for the interior and could be considered long enough on the outside. 

Perhaps the Patriots view him as a starting guard who could play tackle in a pinch. Or maybe they feel he's enough of a technician to put him at tackle and let him erase the team's biggest need now that Nate Solder is with the Giants.

To do what Wynn did in the SEC, small hands or not, had him touted as a top-20 player by many draft experts, and the Patriots got him at No. 23. This seems like a case of Bill Belichick and Nick Caserio taking the highest-rated player on their board regardless of position -- one who played with both David Andrews and Malcolm Mitchell while with the Bulldogs -- and rolling with it.

It should be noted that when the pick was announced, Wynn was listed as a tackle. If he's a guard, and if he isn't able to beat out Shaq Mason or Joe Thuney in his first season, he could help the Patriots fill a potential need in 2019. Mason, one of the best guards in football, is set to become a free agent after the 2018 season. 

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