New England Patriots select Michigan offensive lineman Andrew Stueber in 2022 NFL Draft

He wasn’t one of the more well-known playmakers for Michigan, but he was a huge part of the offensive line. Now, Andrew Stueber is now a 2022 NFL Draft pick.

The New England Patriots drafted Stueber No. 245 overall in the NFL Draft on Saturday. Stueber played a major role in helping Michigan become one of the top offensive lines in the country in 2021, allowing just 14.0 sacks — tying the Wolverines with Florida and Oregon State for fifth in the country. That’s a big reason why the Michigan offensive line won the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s top offensive line.

Stueber became an All-American selection by the American Football Coaches Association in 2021 and earned All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and media. He made starts at right tackle and right guard while also playing a role on special teams.

Out of high school, Stueber was a top-50 offensive lineman prospect and the No. 4 recruit in the state of Connecticut from the Class of 2017, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Now, he’ll take his talents to the NFL.

What NFL Draft analysts say about Andrew Stueber

Stueber appeared the late rounds of draft projections heading into the draft, and NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein offered his assessment of what he’d bring to the NFL. Size seemed to be the big theme, which makes sense considering Stuber came in at 6-foot-7 and 325 pounds.

“Beefy right tackle prospect who succeeds with toughness and strength,” Zierlein wrote. “Stueber is split-low with excess girth across his torso and might have teams considering him as both a guard and a tackle. He’s strong in his uppers and lowers but would benefit from better bend for increased leverage.

“He plays with good feel for pocket depth and can neutralize power rushers but will have trouble successfully setting out to NFL edge speed. He’s built for power and gap run schemes but is more of a neutralizer than finisher. Toughness, size, strength and potential as a two-position player add to his chances of playing in the league.”