Patriots Rookie’s Position Change Appears To Be Permanent

FOXBORO, Mass. — When the Patriots took Sidy Sow in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, their plans for the Eastern Michigan offensive lineman were unclear.

Sow played left tackle early in his collegiate career, but focused on guard in the years afterward before seeing time at his old position during the 2023 Senior Bowl. Multiple reports indicated New England would give the rookie a chance to play tackle this summer, but there was little information on whether Sow would get looks at both positions.

Well, that conversation appears to be over.

Sow played exclusively at right tackle during the spring and continued that trend over the Patriots’ first six training camp practices. Before the start of Tuesday’s session, Bill Belichick indicated Sow’s position change is a permanent one.

“I think that’s where we’re going to start to work him, where we’ve been working him all the way through the spring,” New England’s head coach said. “I think he’s made a lot of progress.”

“I think he’s made a lot of progress”

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Bill Belichick on Patriots rookie Sidy Sow

The Patriots are loaded with quality youth and veteran depth on the interior offensive line. But both tackle spots feature short- and long-term uncertainty, meaning New England must start taking some developmental swings.

“I just feel like that’s the right spot for us,” Belichick said. “That’s why we’re putting him there. But he played tackle in college his freshman year, then he played left tackle in the all-star game. So, he’s played a little bit of tackle.”

Conor McDermott, currently the top right tackle in camp, added: “He’s a great young kid working hard every day. I like him a lot.”

Through nearly a week of training camp, it’s hard to offer any sort of take on Sow. He primarily has played with the third-string offense, experiencing the kinds of ups and downs you’d expect from a rookie.

However, the Patriots through Tuesday only ran one padded practice — and a light one at that. Once players start engaging in real live contact, both in team and 1-on-1 drills, we’ll get a better sense of where Sow is in his development.