First, WRT "drill numbers", for OL they're probably slightly less important than intelligence and attitude and, like official rookie weight measurements, after a year or two, those youthful demonstrations of power, agility, etc. probably matter even less.
However, some of them may provide a useful baseline for comparison. For example, as with weight, a guy's strength as represented by his bench-rep number may be more likely to increase than to dwindle with a couple years in the league. His explosion (vertical and long jump numbers) may even improve a bit with NFL training. OTOH, a guy's native agility (short-shuttle, 3-cone) seems much less likely to get much better (though he could become more effective in using what he's got if his technique improves).
In any case, I am using original rookie meaurements below, but merely as a way of comparing "athleticism starting points". This isn't foolproof, of course. In case you missed it, UDFA Tackle RJ Mattes (6062/321) - who put up some nice drill numbers, especially his 3-cone (7.32) - was picked up by the Pats just after rookie camp. And, was cut a mere nine days later to make room for the far less athletic Haslam.
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Preliminary depth chart (with contract year):
Primaries -
Solder (2014) --- Mankins (2016) --- Wendell (2013) --- Connolly (2014) --- Vollmer (2016)
Vollmer (2016) --- Connolly (2014) ---- Connolly (2014) ---- Cannon (2014) ------- Cannon (2014)
Seems to me that, if there's an injury to one starter, the group above should be able to absorb it quite easily with little dropoff. However, if there are TWO simultaneous injuries to starters (especially at Tackle), there may be some question marks WRT the second-tier reserves.
"Veteran" reserves:
Tackle -
Svitek (6064/308) 4.93/40, 33 reps, 32" vert, 9.04 long jump (no agility drill data)
- An eight-year veteran with at least some starting experience at both tackle spots, the rookie drill numbers I have for him are identical to Solder's, with the caveat that Solder's agility numbers were hard to beat. At 6064, Svitek also has more length than any of the other candidates for reserve/swing tackle. I still won't say that he's a lock for the roster, but my opinion of his chances has improved significantly.
McDonald (6041/316) 5.21/40, 27 reps, 27" vert, 8.06 long (no agility drill data)
Zusevics (6047/303) (no drill data)
- While neither of these guys has the ideal length for OT, none of the other candidates does either. And, while neither has taken a significant number of NFL snaps, they both have training/experience in the Pats' blocking schemes. Mcdonald has at least practiced at all five OL spots (making him a candidate for the "Russ Hochstein Versatility Award"). McDonald's 40-time was the same as Connolly's and he put up more reps, but his explosiveness wasn't quite as good and Connoly's agility numbers (4.54, 7.67) were fairly decent. Zuzevics remains a nearly complete unknown to me aside from his pre-draft scouting reports which noted his starting experience at RT and very good movement skills.
Haslam (6046/304) 5.62/40, 24 reps, 29" vert, 8.04 long, 4.78 ssh, 7.75 3-cone
- Has some NFL starting experience at both tackle spots (albeit not particularly successful, and in a primarily man/power scheme), but is kinda slow. I still think he's most likely Camp-fodder, but it comes down to how well Zuzevics/McDonald have developed and whether UDFAs Fisher and Chris McDonald can jump over everyone else.
Guard -
In terms of "veterans", perhaps all of the above with the exception of Svitek, plus:
Tyronne Green (6016/309) 5.40/40, 22 reps, 28.5 vert, 8.06 long, 4.80 ssh, 8.12 3-cone
- Had 27 starts in SDG's man/power schemes over the past three seasons, mostly at LG, but has played live snaps across the entire line at least a bit. His drill numbers, though, are worse than those of Cannon, a much bigger man who was also suffering from cancer at the time. Definitely not the length for OT, but about the same size as Wendell. If it turns out that he actually can play center and McDonald and/or Zusevics faceplant, Green might have a shot at the 53, but not much more than Haslam has.
Center -
AFAIK, McDonald is the only one who has practiced and had game experience snapping to Brady.
Rookies:
Tackle -
Chris McDonald (6042/300) 5.00/40, 31 reps, 28" vert, 9.00 long, 4.64 ssh, 7.57 3-cone
- Again, less than ideal length for tackle, but drill numbers almost identical to those that Mankins put up as a prospect (especially agility) and somewhat better than those of his brother, Nick. Coming out of the Big Ten, he also started 40 games at RG against Division-I competition. Some scouting reports touted him as being fairly instrumental in RB LeVeon Bell's success, while other claim that he didn't demonstrate NFL-level movement skills, especially in space. If the latter is merely training and technique, that's what Scar does, and McDonald certainly appears to have the athleticism to improve.
Elvis Fisher (6045/296) 5.13/40 (no other data)
- Fisher had 40 consecutive starts at LT for Missouri from 2008-10, but he's a couple years older than the other rookies, having been redshirted as a freshman, then blowing up his knee, sitting out 2011, and returning for 6th year in 2012 on a medical. He also missed some time in 2012 with another leg/knee issue and it's unclear why he skipped his ProDay drills. He also clearly needs to pack on some poundage. OTOH, he apparently has a scouting rep for being a very smart and mature player with good technique, so he may have a shot at something wth the Pats.
Guard -
Mostly, the two guys above, but perhaps also:
Josh Kline (6025/307) 5.06/40, 25 reps, 27" vert, 8.06 long, 4.59 ssh, 7.63 3-cone
- Seems kinda small but is atually a bit bigger than Wendell who did fairly well in spot duty at OG before becoming one of the league's best starting Centers. Kline also put up decent drill numbers and is reputed by some scouts to play with a notable nasty streak. He also has starting experience at right tackle in addition to both Guard spots.
Center -
Kline could also be right for Center and has shown far more athleticism in drills than:
Matt Stankiewitch (6026/302) 5.42/40, 27 reps, 24" vert, 7.08 long, 4.96 ssh, 7.90 3-cone
- Apparently performed pretty well under Bill O'Brien and, thus, has a year's starting experience with the Pats schemes and snap counts, and he also looked okay at the Shrine Game, but his lack of athleticism, in addition to his relatively small stature, might significantly restrict his versatility, which wouldn't help him at all with the Pats.
However, some of them may provide a useful baseline for comparison. For example, as with weight, a guy's strength as represented by his bench-rep number may be more likely to increase than to dwindle with a couple years in the league. His explosion (vertical and long jump numbers) may even improve a bit with NFL training. OTOH, a guy's native agility (short-shuttle, 3-cone) seems much less likely to get much better (though he could become more effective in using what he's got if his technique improves).
In any case, I am using original rookie meaurements below, but merely as a way of comparing "athleticism starting points". This isn't foolproof, of course. In case you missed it, UDFA Tackle RJ Mattes (6062/321) - who put up some nice drill numbers, especially his 3-cone (7.32) - was picked up by the Pats just after rookie camp. And, was cut a mere nine days later to make room for the far less athletic Haslam.
-------------
Preliminary depth chart (with contract year):
Primaries -
Solder (2014) --- Mankins (2016) --- Wendell (2013) --- Connolly (2014) --- Vollmer (2016)
Vollmer (2016) --- Connolly (2014) ---- Connolly (2014) ---- Cannon (2014) ------- Cannon (2014)
Seems to me that, if there's an injury to one starter, the group above should be able to absorb it quite easily with little dropoff. However, if there are TWO simultaneous injuries to starters (especially at Tackle), there may be some question marks WRT the second-tier reserves.
"Veteran" reserves:
Tackle -
Svitek (6064/308) 4.93/40, 33 reps, 32" vert, 9.04 long jump (no agility drill data)
- An eight-year veteran with at least some starting experience at both tackle spots, the rookie drill numbers I have for him are identical to Solder's, with the caveat that Solder's agility numbers were hard to beat. At 6064, Svitek also has more length than any of the other candidates for reserve/swing tackle. I still won't say that he's a lock for the roster, but my opinion of his chances has improved significantly.
McDonald (6041/316) 5.21/40, 27 reps, 27" vert, 8.06 long (no agility drill data)
Zusevics (6047/303) (no drill data)
- While neither of these guys has the ideal length for OT, none of the other candidates does either. And, while neither has taken a significant number of NFL snaps, they both have training/experience in the Pats' blocking schemes. Mcdonald has at least practiced at all five OL spots (making him a candidate for the "Russ Hochstein Versatility Award"). McDonald's 40-time was the same as Connolly's and he put up more reps, but his explosiveness wasn't quite as good and Connoly's agility numbers (4.54, 7.67) were fairly decent. Zuzevics remains a nearly complete unknown to me aside from his pre-draft scouting reports which noted his starting experience at RT and very good movement skills.
Haslam (6046/304) 5.62/40, 24 reps, 29" vert, 8.04 long, 4.78 ssh, 7.75 3-cone
- Has some NFL starting experience at both tackle spots (albeit not particularly successful, and in a primarily man/power scheme), but is kinda slow. I still think he's most likely Camp-fodder, but it comes down to how well Zuzevics/McDonald have developed and whether UDFAs Fisher and Chris McDonald can jump over everyone else.
Guard -
In terms of "veterans", perhaps all of the above with the exception of Svitek, plus:
Tyronne Green (6016/309) 5.40/40, 22 reps, 28.5 vert, 8.06 long, 4.80 ssh, 8.12 3-cone
- Had 27 starts in SDG's man/power schemes over the past three seasons, mostly at LG, but has played live snaps across the entire line at least a bit. His drill numbers, though, are worse than those of Cannon, a much bigger man who was also suffering from cancer at the time. Definitely not the length for OT, but about the same size as Wendell. If it turns out that he actually can play center and McDonald and/or Zusevics faceplant, Green might have a shot at the 53, but not much more than Haslam has.
Center -
AFAIK, McDonald is the only one who has practiced and had game experience snapping to Brady.
Rookies:
Tackle -
Chris McDonald (6042/300) 5.00/40, 31 reps, 28" vert, 9.00 long, 4.64 ssh, 7.57 3-cone
- Again, less than ideal length for tackle, but drill numbers almost identical to those that Mankins put up as a prospect (especially agility) and somewhat better than those of his brother, Nick. Coming out of the Big Ten, he also started 40 games at RG against Division-I competition. Some scouting reports touted him as being fairly instrumental in RB LeVeon Bell's success, while other claim that he didn't demonstrate NFL-level movement skills, especially in space. If the latter is merely training and technique, that's what Scar does, and McDonald certainly appears to have the athleticism to improve.
Elvis Fisher (6045/296) 5.13/40 (no other data)
- Fisher had 40 consecutive starts at LT for Missouri from 2008-10, but he's a couple years older than the other rookies, having been redshirted as a freshman, then blowing up his knee, sitting out 2011, and returning for 6th year in 2012 on a medical. He also missed some time in 2012 with another leg/knee issue and it's unclear why he skipped his ProDay drills. He also clearly needs to pack on some poundage. OTOH, he apparently has a scouting rep for being a very smart and mature player with good technique, so he may have a shot at something wth the Pats.
Guard -
Mostly, the two guys above, but perhaps also:
Josh Kline (6025/307) 5.06/40, 25 reps, 27" vert, 8.06 long, 4.59 ssh, 7.63 3-cone
- Seems kinda small but is atually a bit bigger than Wendell who did fairly well in spot duty at OG before becoming one of the league's best starting Centers. Kline also put up decent drill numbers and is reputed by some scouts to play with a notable nasty streak. He also has starting experience at right tackle in addition to both Guard spots.
Center -
Kline could also be right for Center and has shown far more athleticism in drills than:
Matt Stankiewitch (6026/302) 5.42/40, 27 reps, 24" vert, 7.08 long, 4.96 ssh, 7.90 3-cone
- Apparently performed pretty well under Bill O'Brien and, thus, has a year's starting experience with the Pats schemes and snap counts, and he also looked okay at the Shrine Game, but his lack of athleticism, in addition to his relatively small stature, might significantly restrict his versatility, which wouldn't help him at all with the Pats.
