Patriots draft two O-linemen and a kicker, make trades with Jets and Raiders in fourth round of NFL Draft
BOSTON -- After making just one pick in each of the first three rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Patriots were much busier in round No. 4.
The Patriots made three picks as well as a pair of trades in the fourth round, selecting a pair of O-linemen and a kicker.
The first trade was with the Jets, which is always going to be a surprising trade partner for New England. The Patriots sent pick No. 120 plus the 184th overall pick to the Jets in exchange for the 112th overall pick. The Patriots used that pick to draft a kicker: Chad Ryland out of Maryland.
Ryland played five collegiate seasons -- four at Eastern Michigan, one at Maryland -- and was 49-for-58 on field goals and 104-for-106 on PATs over the past three seasons.
The Patriots took another former Eastern Michigan player with their next pick, selecting guard Sidy Sow. The 6-foot-5, 323-pound Sow is a native of Quebec, and he has experience at tackle and guard in college. Sow was named First Team All-MAC in each of the past two seasons.
Sow was the second interior lineman taken by the Pats, as their first pick of the fourth round was used to take center Jake Andrews out of Troy.
The 6-foot-3, 305-pound Andrews has played both center and guard, and he was named to the First Team in the Sun Belt conference for his work last year.
New England was then set to make the final pick of the fourth round at No. 135 overall but traded that pick to Las Vegas. In exchange, the Patriots picked up picks No. 144 and 214 overall from the Raiders. That trade gives the Patriots a fifth-round pick, which they lacked prior to making the trade.
