If there’s one thing you can guarantee about the Patriots’ next draft class, it’s the addition of a new left tackle.

The Pats could draft one in the first round at No. 4 overall, or pick one late Thursday night if they trade up to add another first-round selection. Or perhaps early in the second round, where they’re scheduled to make their next pick at 38th overall. However the draft unfolds, the Patriots like their options.

“I think there’s some starting tackles that certainly will come in and start in the NFL,” Pats coach Mike Vrabel said last week. “I think that that’s really what you start to look for: impact players. When you start picking that high, what they’re going to do for you, what’s the impact, what’s the position, you talk about premium positions. That’s where you weigh all the circumstances and end up making that pick.

“Do I think that there are starters in this draft at left tackle? Yes, I do.”

But what happens next?

Will the Patriots address their oldest need on the roster at wide receiver? The addition of Stefon Diggs alleviated some pressure there, giving the offense a potential No. 1 option not seen since the final days of Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman. But behind Diggs – who is coming off an ACL tear – questions abound.

Meanwhile, the Patriots fielded one of the league’s least-threatening pass rushes last year. An argument could be made the safest place in the NFL was across from the Pats’ defensive line, which did add a big-ticket free agent in defensive tackle Milton Williams but lacks depth and star power around him. It’s all but a guarantee the Patriots will add to that position, too.

So which position is the team’s biggest need after left tackle?

The Herald’s Patriots beat writers debate.

Callahan: Even as someone who has watched, re-watched and broken down every Patriots offensive snap of the past seven seasons, the answer is pass rush. The Pats recorded a league-low 28 sacks, a number Williams alone cannot remedy. His interior running mate, Christian Barmore, is unfortunately not guaranteed to play next season as he continues to recover from a recurrence of blood clots. And the Patriots’ best edge-rusher, free-agent addition Harold Landry, posted the worst pass-rush win rate of any regular edge defender last season, per Pro Football Focus.

If the Patriots plan to win by running the ball and playing good defense, they absolutely must reinforce their pass rush.

Kyed: The Patriots need to boost their pass rush, there’s no doubt. But they also poured significantly more resources into the defensive front this offseason than they did at wide receiver by adding Williams, Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson to a group that already included Barmore and Keion White.

Meanwhile, they executed Plan D, Diggs, in a wide receiver room that doesn’t have a young player as proven as White. Long-term, this offseason proved that it’s easier to find veteran help on defense than it ever will be at wide receiver. So, until the Patriots hit on a wideout, they need to keep swinging on Day 1 and 2 players.

Callahan: Between Diggs and DeMario Douglas, the Patriots have two starting-caliber receivers ready to roll out, which means all they need is a third. Don’t you think one of Kendrick Bourne, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, Ja’Lynn Polk or Javon Baker should seize that role? After all, Polk and Baker were subject to one of the worst passing environments and positional coaching in the entire league last year. They get a pass as rookies, while White had just one sack over the Pats’ last 15 games in his second season despite having a veteran position coach and defensive coordinator who knows D-line play.

I can’t bank on White breaking out at age 26, nor Landry finding his old form at age 29. It’s time for a youth movement at edge in a draft class deep on edge defenders with few projected No. 1 or No. 2 receiver prospects.

Kyed: I can’t bank on Polk or Boutte breaking out, and I can’t count on Diggs picking up where he left off last year, when he had already taken a step back, coming off a midseason knee injury at 31 years old.

Here’s the other factor: The Patriots’ defense has enough experience and veteran talent that it will be fine even if the pass rush is a relative weakness. You can’t say the same about an offense that only added Morgan Moses, Garrett Bradbury and Diggs among guaranteed starters. The offense needs juice, and Drake Maye needs a high-potential wide receiver to help develop.

I’ll also take my chances on getting a pass-rusher later on Day 2 or early in Day 3 and instead grab a player like Emeka Egbuka, Luther Burden III, Jayden Higgins or Tre Harris after filling the need at left tackle.

Callahan: Good news: Diggs was a top-25 wide receiver last year, per PFF grades, and he’s ahead of schedule, reportedly set to start Week 1. The offense might not even need a young guy to step up. Bourne is a fine No. 3 option, but can you say the same about Khyris Tonga?

He is the Patriots’ third defensive tackle right now, a journeyman run-stuffer who will be forced to start if Barmore can’t play; which remains a possibility. Flanked by the league’s least effective edge-rusher last year (Landry) and White, that will leave Williams seeing double-teams all last season and negate the Pats’ best free-agent addition. Can’t have it for a group that finished last in sacks last year.

Kyed: Defensive tackle is perhaps the deepest position in this year’s draft. You can definitely find a good interior lineman deep into Day 3 of the draft.

The Patriots aimed high for a wide receiver and had to settle on Diggs. He can be a good player as long as he recovers from the knee injury OK. But speaking of Bourne, he tore his ACL in late October 2023 and didn’t return until October 2024. And he was 29. Diggs tore his ACL in late October 2024. Timelines are finicky when players get older.

Also, just from a team resource perspective, I don’t love the idea of spending $26 million per year on a defensive tackle this off-season, $23 million per year on a defensive tackle last offseason and a Day 1 or high Day 2 pick on a defensive tackle this spring.

Callahan: Look, in my mind, it takes what it takes. Add an edge-rusher or an defensive tackle, take your pick. The goal is doing whatever is necessary to fix a pass rush that is the only thing holding back this defense – which the Patriots are trying to win with – from elite potential. If the pass rush delivers, this team can make the Wild Card.

The front office double-dipped last year at wide receiver, and while I’m not betting Polk or Baker will break out in 2025, I’d guarantee one of them posts 300-plus receiving yards as a worthy No. 4 (or better) option. Why? Improved quarterback play, play-calling, coaching and protection. On defense, I can’t guarantee anyone will get five-plus sacks (last year’s season high and Williams’ career best), especially if Williams can’t rotate like he did last year in Philadelphia. But a new rookie rusher not only may get five sacks, but help the rest of his teammates do the same.

Kyed: The Patriots’ pass rush was atrocious last season, but they addressed the issue this March to the point that any player they add late in the first round or early in the second round of the draft probably wouldn’t even start over Landry, White or possibly even Anfernee Jennings.

Take a wide receiver in one of those spots, however, and there’s a direct path for that player to not only be a starter but potentially even your No. 2 pass catcher behind Diggs.

Looking at this offseason in a vacuum, the Patriots went heavy on defense and filled in all necessary gaps. They should now lean into fixing the offense, and there are a plethora of Day 1/Day 2 receivers who can help right away and present more upside than Polk or Baker.