The New England Patriots are reportedly re-signing offensive lineman Mike Onwenu, in a powerful deal that’s bound to significantly realign the franchise’s future.

This contract comes with a hefty price tag that stretches up to $57 million, with a guaranteed $38 million included.

Newly re-signed Mike Onwenu expected to be Patriots' starting right tackle, per @RapSheethttps://t.co/wptmagTKYX pic.twitter.com/IzO7RxGFjC

— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) March 18, 2024

At just 26 years old, Onwenu has proven to be one of New England’s most valuable offensive linemen.

Taking charge of 850 offensive snaps in 2023, which were divided between 194 at guard and 656 at tackle, his performance was convincing.

Pro Football Focus assigned Onwenu a solid grade of 71.5, while also crediting him with allowing 23 quarterback disruptions, which included three pivotal sacks.

Rumors had long circulated about Onwenu being in line for a significant payday, with annual earnings expected to range between $17-18 million.

The Patriots held the power to lay down the franchise tag, which in this case, would have meant guaranteeing Onwenu a $20.9 million salary for 2024.

However, this franchise tag was placed on safety Kyle Dugger. In an unusual move, Onwenu opted to represent himself throughout the negotiations, having split from his former agency last month.

Despite the potential complications that could have arisen during these direct dialogues, Patriots director of scouting, Eliot Wolf, expressed optimism that the negotiation process would not negatively impact the business.

“It doesn’t impact us,” he explained during the NFL Scouting Combine. “Mike’s a core player for us. It’s no secret we want to try to keep Mike, and it’ll be just a bit of a wrinkle dealing with him. Mike’s really smart, and he’s introspective, and he’s thoughtful. And he knows what he wants, which is always good when you’re dealing with a player. He’s certainly someone that we view as a cornerstone for us.”

Onwenu is, without a doubt, a player capable of providing a high level of stability to the Patriots’ offensive line.

With this new deal in place, he is poised to transform New England’s offensive line, and fans can now look forward to his contributions for at least the next three years.

Patriots draft profile: Marvin Harrison Jr. would be a Day 1 difference maker

If the Patriots want to upgrade their offense in Round 1, Harrison Jr. is an enticing option.

The New England Patriots are in dire need of adding some playmaking potential to their offense. Luckily for them, the 2024 NFL Draft is filled with dynamic weapons capable of making an impact from very early in their respective pro careers.

One prospect among them still stands out, though: Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is one of the best wide receivers to come out of college in quite some time. A rare combination of elite athleticism and NFL pedigree, the 21-year-old projects to come off the board within the first five selections in April — right where the Patriots find themselves.

Let’s therefore take a closer look at Harrison Jr. to find out what he would bring to the table.

Hard facts

Name: Marvin Harrison Jr.

Position: Wide receiver

School: Ohio State

Opening day age: 22 (8/11/2022)

Size: 6’3 1/4”, 209 lbs, 77 1/4” wingspan, 31 7/8” arm length, 9 1/2” hand size, N/A Relative Athletic Score

Experience

Career statistics: 37 games (25 starts) | 1,658 offensive snaps, 100 special teams snaps | 248 targets, 155 catches (62.5%), 2,613 yards, 31 TDs | 4 carries, 58 yards, 1 TD, 1 fumble

Accolades: Fred Biletnikoff Award (2023), First-team All-Big Ten (2022, 2023), Unanimous All-American (2022, 2023)

The son of former NFL wide receiver Marvin Harrison Sr., Harrison Jr. played high school football at La Salle College High School in Wyndmore, PA, and at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia. Already a highly productive pass catcher at that level, he helped the Hawks win three consecutive state championships before making the jump to college as a four-star recruit.

Receiving offers from several Power-5 schools, Harrison Jr. decided to join an Ohio State team filled with NFL-caliber talent. After seeing only limited action as a true freshman as a result, he broke out during his sophomore season and never looked back: over his two years as a starter for the Buckeyes, he caught 144 passes for 2,474 yards and 28 touchdowns.

One of the hottest names in college football, he decided to forgo his senior season in college to enter the NFL Draft.

Draft profile

Expected round: 1 (Top 5) | Consensus big board: No. 4

Strengths: Marvin Harrison Sr. is a Pro Football Hall of Famer, whose impeccable route running and ball-handling is legendary. His son does all the same things as his father, he just does them at 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds (as opposed to 6-foot-0, 185).

Simply speaking, Harrison Jr. is a natural at playing the wide receiver position. Besides having NFL blood pumping through his veins, he also is as impressive an athlete as any at the position that has come out of college in recent years. He is fast, he is tall, he is strong, he has outstanding hand-eye coordination, rarely takes any unnecessary steps, can line up everywhere, makes defensive backs tip their hand before they want to, and is a threat to score from any position on the field.

At times during his college career, he looked like a man among boys.

Marvin Harrison Jr being a man amongst boys pic.twitter.com/YLYu4qsq4e

— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) November 26, 2023

You can throw Harrison Jr. in any situation, and he likely will come out on top. He has the physicality and frame to out-leap or box out defenders in contested catch situations, while also being surprisingly nimble out of his stance to challenge press-man looks. He also knows how to find open spots in zone, and is not afraid to get his hands dirty as a blocker in the running game.

His route tree has already grown nicely, and he is a true three-level target. Add it all up and you get a player who looks like the prototypical X-receiver, but has the potential to be much more regardless of the offense he is playing in.

Weaknesses: Harrison Jr.’s game is well-refined, but there are a few areas where he still has growth potential. His finish has room for improvement after he was credited with six drops in 2023, and he also is not the biggest threat to overpower defenders with the ball in his hands.

Patriots preview

What would be his role? Given his skillset, Harrison Jr. projects best as a perimeter target in the NFL and the Patriots’ offense. He would be a Day 1 starter and the team’s clear No. 1 option at the X-receiver spot. While conditioning in a pro level setting might impact his volume of snaps, he could be a three-down player and serious difference maker right out of the gate.

What is his growth potential? Even after playing only three years of college football, Harrison Jr. is ready to take on NFL competition. Once he gets used to the increase in speed and physicality at that next level, he could quickly become an All-Pro-caliber player. The old saying about the sky being the limit is overused when it comes to draft prospects, but in Harrison Jr.’s case one can see why that descriptor is not entirely out of order.

Does he have positional versatility? Harrison Jr. is not a candidate for the Paul Hornung Award as the most versatile player in college football. That said, he is versatile within the framework of the wide receiver position. While best suited as an X-receiver due to his combination of size and speed, he likely would also find success as a big slot or when used in the screen game. He also carried the ball four times for 58 yards and a touchdown during his time as a Buckeye, even though he also fumbled once.

Why the Patriots? As noted above, New England’s offense lacks a true game-changing talent at the skill positions. Harrison Jr. would bring that to the equation, and as a consequence make the lives of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, whoever the team’s next starting quarterback will be, and the club’s other wide receivers substantially easier. Drafting him would immediately improve what was a rather lackluster Patriots offense in 2023.

Why not the Patriots? The big question the Patriots have to answer this spring is whether they are comfortable with the quarterback options available at No. 3 overall. If not, the next question becomes whether the best player on the board or a trade down is the preferable outcome. That best non-QB player, of course, would be Harrison Jr., but there are arguments to be made in favor of going a different route than adding him to a rebuilding team that currently also has serious issues at quarterback and offensive tackle.

One-sentence verdict: There are no “can’t miss” projects in the draft, but Harrison Jr. comes as close to this label as any player available this year.