Pats Pulpit
Despite already making some major investments along their offensive line in 2025, the New England Patriots again used serious capital to upgrade the group this offseason. The process left a particular impact on the interior, which will feature new starters at left guard (Alijah Vera-Tucker) and center (Jared Wilson) alongside a returning right guard (Mike Onwenu).
How about the backup level, though? That is a different story — one that should lead to a healthy competition this summer, including among others second-year man Mehki Butler.
Name: Mehki Butler
Position: Guard/Interior offensive line
Jersey number: 63
Opening day age: 25 (4/3/2001)
Measurements: 6’3”, 310 lbs, 9 3/4” hand size, 34 5/8” arm length, 82 1/8” wingspan, 5.19s 40-yard dash, 8.02s 3-cone drill, 4.94s short shuttle, 27 1/2” vertical jump, 8’5” broad jump, 22 bench press reps, 6.07 Relative Athletic Score
NFL: New England Patriots (2025-) | College: Iowa Western (2019-20), Arkansas State (2021-24)
A state champion at Omaha North High School in Omaha, NE, Butler received limited interest coming out and started his college career right across the Missouri River, at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs. He played 12 games for the Reivers over a two-year period and was named NJCAA first-team All-American in 2020.
Butler transferred to Arkansas State following that season, and after not seeing action in 2021 became a fixture along the Red Wolves’ offensive line. Between 2022 and 2024, he started all 38 games at left guard axnd played a combined 2,554 offensive snaps along the way.
Despite his experience and some success as both a run blocker and a pass protector, Butler went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft. He joined the Patriots as a rookie free agent shortly thereafter, but has yet to see the field outside of the preseason.
Strengths: Butler is a decently-sized blocker who offers rare length. His arms rank in the 94th percentile among interior offensive linemen entering the league since 1999, with his wingspan in the 92nd percentile. He uses those attributes well and combines them with good hand placement as well as a knack for timing his punches and keeping his hands active. He generally mirrors quite well, and is able to take advantage of his reach to stifle pass rushers and win reps upon initial contact. As a run blocker, he is solid climbing to the next level and quick to disengage from double teams to get upfield.
Weaknesses: While his size and especially his length are NFL-caliber, his athleticism is not up to the same level. His wins are oftentimes the result of his physical attributes or his effort rather than him being a better athlete than his opponent. Butler is not the fastest or most nimble-footed of movers as a zone or pull blocker and he struggles to drop a firm anchor in pass protection. If defensive linemen can get into his chest and neutralize his length, he can be walked back and struggle to maintain...
