Patriots Bolster O-Line Depth, Draft Another Guard In Sixth Round

Double-dips were a theme of the 2022 NFL Draft for New England. The Patriots selected two cornerbacks, two running backs and, now, two interior offensive linemen.

With pick No. 210 overall in the sixth round, the Patriots drafted LSU’s Chasen Hines, who started 17 games at guard for the Tigers and was the team’s backup center earlier in his career.

Sixteen of Hines’ starts came at right guard. He was a two-year collegiate starter but missed five games due to injury in each of those campaigns. He also underwent knee surgery after the 2019 season.

Boasting what The Athletic’s Dane Brugler called “extraordinary mass,” Hines measured in at 6-foot-3, 327 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine. Scouting reports praise his power, aggressiveness and pull-blocking capabilities but knock his consistency and sloppy technique.

Hines also committed only one penalty last season, per Brugler, and had zero holding calls.

“Hines can create run lanes as an aggressive drive blocker and is effective hitting targets on the move on pin-and-pull reps,” Lance Zierlein wrote in Hines’ NFL.com draft profile. “He needs to drop some weight and improve his hand placement in order to sustain blocks as a pro. He protects the pocket with decent technique but might not have enough mirror to keep the gaps clean as a full-time guard. Hines has early backup value along the interior line with eventual starting talent that is best-suited at the center spot.”

Hines and first-round Patriots pick Cole Strange played alongside one another at the 2022 Senior Bowl — one of New England’s favorite scouting sites.

Even after using their top pick on a guard, the Patriots lacked quality depth behind projected starters Strange, David Andrews and Mike Onwenu. Hines will be in that mix with the likes of James Ferentz, Drew Desjarlais, Yasir Durant and Arlington Hambright as he competes for a roster spot.