2022 NFL Draft: Northern Iowa tackle Trevor Penning, Arizona State cornerback Jack Jones among Patriots top-30 visitors

Patriots pre-draft tracker: Interviews, workouts, meetings, and more

Update 4/5/2022: Northern Iowa tackle Trevor Penning, Arizona State cornerback Jack Jones among Patriots top-30 visitors

The New England Patriots continue to check off top-30 visits.

Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus has reported that former Arizona State cornerback Jack Jones is set to visit the Patriots alongside Penning on Wednesday.

Jones, a USC transfer, will become the second cornerback to visit New England after Marcus Jones reportedly took his visit earlier this week. Jones is a product of Long Beach Poly Technical high school, the alma mater of Patriots hall of famer Willie McGinest and noted Los Angeles Rams/Pittsburgh Steelers super fan Snoop Dogg. He even played in the hip-hop legend’s football league as a youngster.

Despite coming off of a stellar 2022 campaign that saw him record three interceptions and six pass deflections, the 5-foot-11, 171 pound defensive back is expected to be a late round draft pick.

Original story 4/5/2022: Northern Iowa offensive tackle Trevor Penning set for top-30 visit with the Patriots.

The calendar has flipped over to the month of April, meaning the New England Patriots are officially starting to put together their final preparations for the NFL Draft. The latest NFL Draft rumor states that they may keeping their eyes on a certain day one tackle.

According to Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network, the Patriots will host Trevor Penning for one of their top-30 visits. Penning will become the fourth player to take a top-30 visit with the Patriots, as Houston cornerback Marcus Jones, Stephen F. Austin defensive lineman Rayshad Nichols and Miami quarterback D’Eriq King have all reportedly worked out for New England within the past week.

Penning is a 6-foot-7, 325 pound tackle out of Northern Iowa and has served as one of this draft cycle’s biggest risers. As an FCS product, Penning’s efforts during the season were enough to get him invited to the Senior Bowl, where he really made a name for himself as one of the most physically imposing prospects in the entire class.

Penning played for a Senior Bowl ‘National Team’ that was coached by the New York Jets’ coaching staff. His week was impressive enough to earn “Offensive Lineman of the Week” honors, voted on by the defensive lineman and linebackers that he faced during the week of practice. Last month he put in another strong showing, this time at the combine, running a 4.89 second forty yard dash and a very respectable 4.62 second short shuttle time.

A top-30 visit isn’t necessarily indicative of an intent on a team drafting a specific player, rather a chance for that team to gather more information and look to build a relationship in a more intimate setting than that of the Senior Bowl or the NFL Combine.

It is expected that Penning will be drafted within the first round of this month’s draft. He is seen by many as a member of the top four tackles in this class behind Ikem Ekwonu, Evan Neal, and Charles Cross. New England currently holds the 21st overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.