Patriots’ Chukwuma Okorafor breaks silence on move to left tackle

The New England Patriots roster looks much different than it did at the end of the 2023 season. Mac Jones is out as well as a few others, and Jerrod Mayo is in as the new head coach after Bill Belichick’s departure. On top of that, they selected Drake Maye third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, pegging him as the quarterback of the future.

In free agency, one under-the-radar signing is former Pittsburgh Steelers OL Chukwuma Okorafor, who signed a one-year deal in the offseason. Okorafor had spent all six NFL seasons with the Steelers after being selected in the 3rd round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

While Okorafor had primarily played right tackle (he had 59 starts at the position), New England is set to move him to left tackle. With OTAs underway, Okorafor spoke about the challenges and how he feels making that transition, per Doug Kyed of The Boston Herald.

“I’ve been in the NFL for a while now. If I knew I couldn’t do it, I wouldn’t have chosen to do it,” Okorafor said. “It will take time, but I know who I am and what I can do…I played right my whole time in Pitt. It’s obviously new. I’m trying to learn left as of now. I’m just trying to learn a whole new playbook. I’m trying to learn a whole new city, a whole new town. So, everything is kind of new to me now but I’m blessed.”

Okorafor spoke about how he will need to adjust his hands but then added he “can’t complain”: “I’ve taken every single snap that I’ve taken in the last six years at right. So it’s learning how to set and use my hands. That kind of stuff. It’s a bunch of stuff, but I can’t complain.”

It’s the right mindset to have for somebody making the transition, especially after six years of playing right tackle.

The Patriots left tackle depth is lacking