Patriots draft profile: Emmanuel Pregnon is a road-grader at guard

Accolades: First-team All-American (2025), First-team All-Big Ten (2025), Second-team, All-Big Ten (2024), Freshman All-American (2022)

Initially focused on basketball more so than football, Pregnon spent time on both the offensive and defensive lines during his final three years at Thomas Jefferson High School in Denver. However, his late start meant that he went largely unnoticed as a recruit — he went with a no-star ranking — and primarily picked up lower-level scholarship offers. The lone FBS school showing interest was Wyoming, and he enrolled in the summer of 2020.

Pregnon did not see any in-game action during his first two years in Laramie, and instead used the time to hone in on playing offensive line both physically and mentally. When his third year rolled around, he reaped the benefits of his work behind the scenes: he started 11 games at right guard and was voted a Freshman All-American.

Having built some serious momentum, he entered the transfer portal ahead of his sophomore campaign in 2023. Pregnon received offers from some of the top programs in the country, including USC, where he spent his next two seasons. During that time, he added 25 more starts to his résumé before transferring again for his final year of eligibility.

Pregnon ended his college career at Oregon. He started 15 games for the Ducks in 2025, all but one of them at left guard (the other at right guard), and was named both first-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten.

Draft profile

Projected round: 2 | Consensus big board: No. 42 | Patriots meeting: 30 visit

Strengths: Pregnon is a massive and powerful player at the guard position, who provides significant length along the interior offensive line with his 95th-percentile wingspan. He knows how to use his 98th-percentile hands to his advantage, displaying some serious grip strength and the ability to challenge defenders’ balance. This combined with a devastating punch and the ability to anchor down from his wide base allows him to absorb defenders in pass protection; paired with his off-the-ball quickness and natural explosivity out of his stance, it also allows him to generate a drive in the run game.

Pregnon marries his impressive physique and strength with an attacking mindset. He is a mauler that plays through the whistle and makes his presence felt on every play. He also comes with immense experience, having started those aforementioned 51 games and only twice — both in 2022 — having to sit out games due to injury.

Weaknesses: Despite some impressive measurements, Pregnon is not the most fluid player and generally won’t wow you with his functional athleticism. He is inconsistent climbing to the second level and can take inadequate angles on defenders in the open. He also can get caught leaning into his blocks, which compromises his balance and allows defenders to chop away his heavy and sometimes unevenly-placed hands. Despite his baseline physicality, he is not an overly violent finisher. He also is an older prospect who will turn 25 in early October.

Patriots preview

What would be his role? Pregnon has spent virtually his entire post-high school career at guard, and he will play the same role in the NFL as well. As for his specific role should he join the Patriots, that would remain to be seen. He could be brought aboard to succeed Mike Onwenu at right guard from 2027 or possibly even sooner should he get traded, or to be developed behind left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker with both the post-2026 future and Vera-Tucker’s injury history in mind.

Does he have positional versatility? While he did play a handful of snaps at both tackle spots and as a tackle eligible during his college career, Pregnon is a guard first and foremost. Within that context, he does offer the ability and experience to play on both the left and the right side. He also was a part of the field goal and extra point protection units at all three of his college stops.

What is his growth potential? Being an older prospect, Pregnon is closer to being a fully-developed NFL player than other rookies. That being said, he also is closer to being ready to start. In fact, he could be inserted into a lineup right away and besides the natural growing pains associated with going from college to the pros would be able to hold his own. As for his potential, he has the attributes to become a quality starter at either left or right guard fairly early in his career.

Why the Patriots? With Alijah Vera-Tucker having suited up for only 43 of a possible 85 games since entering the NFL, and with Mike Onwenu entering the last year of his contract, the Patriots might be willing to invest in the guard position sooner than later in the draft. And if they do, Pregnon fits what they are looking for: he is an Onwenu-esque road-grader well-suited to play in a gap-based scheme like the one New England is running.

Why not the Patriots? Even though Vera-Tucker and Onwenu are question marks at this point in time, the team’s confidence in their outlook for 2026 and beyond might impact the approach to the draft. Essentially, if they feel good about the current starters long-term, investing a high draft pick in Pregnon or any other guards might not happen.

One-sentence verdict: Pregnon would not fill an obvious need in New England, but you can see why the Patriots brought him in for a 30 visit and might see him as a future starter along its interior offensive line.

For more information about Emmanuel Pregnon and the rest of this year’s class of prospects, please take a look at Adam’s 2026 NFL Draft Guide.

Also, what do you think about Pregnon as a potential Patriots target? Do you like him? Where would you pick him? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.