Patriots: 3 Joe Thuney replacements in 2021 NFL Draft

Round 4: Trey Hill, Georgia

UGA’s Trey Hill, who started games at both center and guard during his time with the Bulldogs, appears to possess the size, length, anchoring ability, and overall play strength to handle duties at either position in today’s NFL.

Hill is strong at the attack point and consistently demonstrated the ability to move defenders out of running lanes in his team’s rushing attack.  Additionally, he appeared better suited than most collegiate centers to handle man-up responsibilities with large defensive tackles in his pass sets.

While offering a level of positional versatility that he will share with others on this list, Hill’s collegiate game film shows an aggressive, almost bullying-style player in the trenches who could ingratiate himself with McDaniels and the Patriots’ offensive staff based on what he would figure to bring to the team’s emerging power running game.

While not a finished prospect as either a center or guard, Hill possesses rare size and bulk for the interior offensive line, which he pairs with a set of exceptionally strong hands and feet that are quite active for a man his size.

Though Hill’s college career speaks to a durable, experienced player, having cracked Georgia’s starting lineup for 26 consecutive contests, he could still be seen as more of a traits-based, ascending prospect ahead of next month’s draft.

If for whatever reason, Hill is still available in the draft’s fourth round, the team could be well advised to use one of their three picks in the round (selections 120, 122, and 139, respectively) to welcome to Foxboro a player with as much upside as any interior offensive lineman in this year’s NFL Draft.