Patriots Holding Pre-Draft Visit with Top OL Prospect Kingsley Suamataia

The New England Patriots are taking an extensive look at BYU offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia

As the calendar inches closer to turning to April, the 2024 NFL Draft is rising to the forefront of team building strategies across the league.

Among many other things, this means pre-draft visits are rapidly commencing - and for the New England Patriots, another such visit has been confirmed.

According to Sportskeeda, the Patriots are set to host BYU offensive tackle
Kingsley Suamataia for an official top-30 visit.

The 6-6, 326-pound Suamataia has been lauded for his athleticism and impressed evaluators at the Reese's Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine.

Mar 3, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Brigham Young offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia (OL65) during

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

He's been a hot commodity this pre-draft cycle, as he held a private workout for 15 teams in Salt Lake City, Utah, last week and is scheduled for several top-30 visits, as New England is joined by the Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys.

Suamataia was a top-40 recruit in the class of 2021 by both Rivals and 247sports and began his college career at the University of Oregon. He spent one season with the Ducks, playing in one game while utilizing a redshirt.

The Orem, Utah, native transferred to BYU before the 2022 season and flourished, starting all 12 games he appeared in while not allowing a sack on 361 pass blocking snaps. He was named a second-team freshman All-American by The Athletic.

Suamataia followed his breakthrough 2022 season with a similarly strong 2023 season, earning second-team All-Big 12 honors.

The 21-year-old Suamataia was rated as SI Draft Bible's No. 9 offensive tackle in the 2024 draft class and comes with a strong athletic background. At the NFL Combine, he ran a 5.04 40-yard dash and churned out 31 reps on the bench press.

NFL.Com draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared Suamataia to Seattle Seahawks right tackle Abraham Lucas.

"He has good size and adequate play strength, but sloppy hand placement limits control and consistency as both a run and pass blocker," Zierlein writes. "Suamataia could struggle to handle NFL edge speed in pass protection, but he’s quick enough for move-blocking duties in outside zone and in space.

"The tape is more solid than spectacular, but Suamataia has the ability to become an average starting tackle on the right side."

Could the Patriots be the team that gives Saumataia the chance to become that? Only time will tell - and his looming visit may go a long way in deciding the likelihood of that probability.