2021 NFL Mock Draft: 49ers land Mac Jones, Kyle Pitts falls to Giants
By Randy Gurzi
IOL. USC. 15. 47. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Alijah Vera-Tucker. player
The New England Patriots were very active this offseason, landing several big-name free agents. While they did end up with Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne, and many more players, they lost some talent as well.
Their biggest loss was Joe Thuney, the guard who signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. In order to replace him, New England lands Alijah Vera-Tucker from USC. Vera-Tucker is an impressive player who could play either insider or out and is solid against both the run and pass as stated by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein.
"“Ascending wide-body with powerful hands and above-average core strength, allowing him to play with good balance and control the action around him. He’s not a forklift-style drive blocker, but he does have the frame and natural strength to improve in that area if he can play with a little better pad level. Vera-Tucker is adept at catching and tagging moving targets in space. His effective play at left tackle in 2020 might create some buzz about him making that a permanent position if teams are OK with his lack of prototype length. He’s a plus in pass pro and solid as a run blocker.” — Zierlein, NFL.com"
For New England, they will likely use Vera-Tucker inside where he will likely have an even higher ceiling as a player.