Trent Brown could be steal of offseason for powerhouse Patriots

The New England Patriots have made a living off turning other teams’ trash into treasure since Bill Belichick took the reins in 2000.

From Corey Dillon and Randy Moss to Rob Ninkovich and Aqib Talib, the Patriots have done a masterful job taking advantage of teams trying to unload aging or problematic players for little compensation. And much to the chagrin of fans of the other 31 teams, the Patriots just did it again.

Coming off a painful loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, New England had a major hole at left tackle after its previous starter, Nate Solder, was paid a fortune in free agency to play for the New York Giants.

Unwilling to overpay for any tackle on the market, Belichick decided to see if the trade winds would bear fruit. Luckily for him, it did with the San Francisco 49ers and offensive tackle Trent Brown, who missed six games in the previous season but looked like a high-quality player when he was healthy.

Even though he played well in Kyle Shanahan’s system, Brown wasn’t a great fit, as he struggles with footwork and pacing in the zone running game - a major tentpole of the 49ers' offense.

The Patriots traded the 95th pick in the 2018 draft for both Brown and the 143rd selection - a steal for a player of Brown’s magnitude.

Isaiah Wynn, the team's 2018 first-round pick and an excellent prospect in his own right, was brought in to compete with Brown for the starting left tackle gig. Typically, a first-rounder would have an edge over the player who was traded for essentially a late fourth-round pick - but anyone who studied Brown in recent years knew that he was not the underdog.

Listed at 6-foot-8 and 380 pounds with 36-inch arms, Brown is a mountain of a man who displaces defenders with ease. The following play helps illustrate the kind of power Brown can create in the running game:

Here, the Patriots run a zone concept to the near side of the field with Brown responsible for completing a combination block from the play-side defensive end to the play-side linebacker. Brown comes off the ball with good pad level and proper hand placement, which allows him to generate the force needed to knock the defensive back on contact. From there, Brown gets just enough of the linebacker to create an open running lane for the Patriots running back.

At his best, Brown is a mauler who uses size, length, strength, leverage, and proper hand placement to bully and bludgeon whoever is lined up across from him. He’s especially effective on the down block:

Here, Brown is responsible with down-blocking the back-side defensive end. After the ball is snapped, he quickly engages the defensive end with good pad level and hand placement. There is a saying in offensive line play: "Get underneath the chin and you will win." Brown does exactly that here as he displaces the defender from one hash mark to the other.

You might expect that Brown’s size would hinder him in pass protection; getting all that mass moving in a way where he can quickly react is difficult. But Brown thrives in pass protection, displaying impressive movement ability, balance, and some of the best hand technique at the position.

Brown uses his smooth pass set, efficient footwork, and immense length to stymie some of the league's best pass-rushers. This play against the NFL’s sack leader in 2017, Chandler Jones, is a great example:

Using a vertical set, Brown explodes out of his stance and into his pass set to beat Jones to the intersection point. Once Brown latches his 11-inch hands on Jones, it’s over. The Florida product escorts Jones beyond the pocket, eliminating his ability to generate even a hint of pressure on the play.

Even when tasked with expanding his pass set, Brown makes it look much easier than it should be for a man weighing 380 pounds.

While his pass set is nice, Brown’s array of hand technique is what separates him from the pack. From an effective two-hand punch to some impressive independent hand use, Brown has a large tool bag to pull from to defeat any pass-rusher. Here’s a great illustration of the Texas native’s intricate hand technique:

On this play, Brown is again lined up against the NFL’s sack king, this time on the right side. After the snap, Brown effortlessly sets vertically against the Cardinals pass-rusher. Once Jones is in range, Brown feints a punch with his right hand, causing Jones to whiff with his swipe-dip-rip move. This makes it easy for Brown to latch onto Jones and stop his progress to the quarterback.

The scary part is that Brown should only get better under Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, one of the best OL coaches on the planet. At just 25 years old, Brown will be an upgrade over Solder and looks to be the left tackle of the future for New England as long as he can stay healthy.

And the Patriots acquired him for what amounts to a late third-round pick.

Belichick just outfoxed the NFL yet again.

John Owning is an NFL writer at theScore. He has written for Bleacher Report and Football Insiders. He was also the lead NFL content editor at FanRag Sports. John provides analysis on the Dallas Cowboys for the Dallas Morning News and edits for The Quant Edge. Find him on Twitter @JohnOwning.