Joe Thuney's quick Patriots rise sparks thoughts of Logan Mankins, others
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The last time the New England Patriots drafted a left tackle and inserted him at left guard from Day 1, things couldn't have worked out any better. Logan Mankins started immediately and the club essentially didn't have to worry about the position for the next nine seasons (2005-2013).
Could history be repeating itself?
Third-round draft choice Joe Thuney of NC State lined up as the Patriots' first-unit left guard from the first day of spring practices and hasn't been moved off the spot.
Comparing him to Mankins is obviously a false start worthy of a penalty flag -- after all, he hasn't even played a regular-season NFL game -- but Thuney's first four months on the job have some similarities to the perennial Pro Bowler.
Much like Mankins was moved inside to left guard because the Patriots had Matt Light entrenched at left tackle, Thuney made the same move this season because Nate Solder returns at left tackle. Coach Bill Belichick called it a temporary move initially but, much like Mankins in 2005, the 6-foot-5, 305-pound Thuney is putting what appears to be a permanent stamp on the position.
"He has handled it well, so I think he's certainly moving towards being able to lock something down [in terms of a starting role]," Belichick said Tuesday, making an exception of sorts in acknowledging the depth chart with a rookie. "I don't think we're there yet, but he's certainly gaining on it. He has had a good preseason; had a good spring."
Belichick's comments on Thuney (pronounced TOO-nee) sparked some discussion among reporters on past rookies with whom he might favorably compare. While his position switch and early stranglehold on the left guard position has links to Mankins, here are a few other Patriots who come to mind from Belichick's tenure (2000-present) as it relates to Thuney:
1. Dan Koppen (2003, fifth round) -- The center from Boston College started from Day 1 and had a level of maturity that belied his age. Turns out both Koppen and Thuney were recruited in college by the same head coach they initially played for, Tom O'Brien. One difference between Koppen and Thuney is that Koppen was a pure center, while Thuney's athleticism makes him an option to play other spots if needed.
2. Benjamin Watson (2004, first round) -- A tight end from Georgia, he scored a 48 on his Wonderlic test, which tied for the third-highest mark in NFL history. That level of intelligence has some links to Thuney, who earned his first college degree in three years and graduated cum laude with an accounting degree.
3. Sebastian Vollmer (2009, second round) -- When the Patriots selected Vollmer 58th overall, it was viewed by some as a "reach" because he wasn't a highly-touted prospect and wasn't invited to the combine. Thuney, meanwhile, was invited to the combine but, like Vollmer, was viewed by some as more of a middle- to late-round projection. But both showed pretty early that they belonged.
4. Russ Hochstein (2002, practice squad) -- A valuable reserve for the team from 2002-2008, he played all three interior positions and kicked out to tackle in a pinch. That is the main link to Thuney, who started games at four of the five positions on the offensive line at NC State -- left tackle, left guard, right guard and right tackle. From an athleticism standpoint, Thuney is a cut above.