ESPN Picks Vederian Lowe as New England’s BIggest X Factor

ESPN continued their annual tradition of selecting one “X factor” for each NFL franchise this season. They defined what qualified a player as an X player as a player who would cause their team to be surprisingly good or surprisingly bad in 2024. Head coaches were not chosen, eliminating Jerod Mayo as the New England Patriots selection. Instead, the nod went to offensive tackle Vederian Lowe.

The Patriots enter the season in an unenviable position. Like a small handful of other franchises, it is nearly impossible for New England to be “surprisingly bad” this season. Teams like the New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers, and New York Giants are among a small group projected by virtually everyone to finish the season with double-digit losses. So for Lowe, being an X factor would mean something positive.

What ESPN Had to Say

This is what ESPN’s Ben Solak said about the selection of Vederian Lowe:

“He was a sixth-round selection of the Vikings in 2022, and the Patriots acquired him for the same pick last August. He started eight games last season and struggled mightily, but the Patriots didn’t make any moves in free agency and drafted only a third-round right tackle (Caedan Wallace) as competition at the position. The starting left tackle job belongs to Lowe.

Also Read – Dan Kelley: Explaining How the Patriots Offensive Line Got to This Point

“Lowe must take a big step forward if he’s going to hold onto the job. If he’s struggling, the Patriots will put Wallace out there in his stead and let the young player start to develop. And if Lowe is struggling, it’ll be harder to insert Maye into the lineup and get the rookie quarterback the valuable reps he needs, as the coaching staff will fear a rookie-season injury to Maye off the blind side. If Lowe can hold his water, the path forward for New England is immediately accelerated.”

Analysis

ESPN did not follow its criteria in choosing Vederian Lowe. Their selection has nothing to do with the Patriots being “surprisingly good” in 2024. Rather, it focuses on their ability to let Drake Maye play. Of course, that’s important but it is not how Solak stated the picks would be made.

The choice boiled down to a veteran left tackle for New England. Lowe was the clear preference of the coaching staff in training camp to start at left tackle. However, Lowe got injured in practice leading up to their preseason finale against Washington. New England’s Chukwuma Okorafor moved from right tackle to start the final preseason game in Lowe’s place. It is unclear who will be the Patriots starting left tackle in Week 1.

New England Patriots tackle Caedan Wallace steps on the field at practice, Monday, May 20, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Choosing Lowe was not because he could help the Patriots become surprisingly good. Rather, Lowe (or Okorafor) playing well means New England doesn’t need to start rookie Caedan Wallace. The logic is that not playing Wallace makes them more comfortable playing Drake Maye at quarterback. Note: Maye only plays if starter Jacoby Brissett fails or gets injured.

So Vederian Lowe is ESPN’s pick as the X factor for the Patriots. But even a solid performance from the left tackle isn’t important because of wins. ESPN reasons Lowe needs to play well enough to keep one rookie (Caedan Wallace) off the field so another rookie (Drake Maye) can get on it. New England being “surprisingly good” this season is so farfetched, in their opinion, picking a player based on the team being surprisingly good was a nonfactor in choosing an X factor. Seems unfair to Wallace, Brissett, and the New England Patriots franchise.