The Patriots went back to a familiar place to find the first of their third-round picks in the 2020 draft. New England drafted Alabama linebacker Anfernee Jennings with their No. 87 pick. Once again, Belichick went with a player that he probably received some inside information on from his good friend, Alabama coach Nick Saban.
Jennings played in four years at Alabama after a redshirt freshman season. With the Crimson Tide, the linebacker totaled 193 tackles, 33.5 of them for a loss, and 14.5 sacks.
The newest linebacker joins a group that features newly drafted Josh Uche, as well as Shilique Calhoun, Brandon Copeland, Chase Winovich, and John Simon.
Patriots fans should know these four things about their newest addition to the linebacker core.
Jennings has one Crimson Tide teammate in New England.
Jennings and Damien Harris were both with the Crimson Tide from 2015-2018. While they didn’t play the same side of the ball, it’s still nice to have some level of familiarity in a new organization. It also won’t be a huge jump in coaching discipline from Saban to Belichick. It might even be easier in some aspects.