The NFL Draft is almost here, and ESPN’s Mel Kiper selected a linebacker for the New England Patriots in his latest mock draft. He selected Zack Baun out of Wisconsin with New England’s 23rd overall pick.
Baun had a stellar season statistically last year for the Wisconsin Badgers, recording 12.5 sacks and 19.5 total tackles for a loss. Baun was third on the Badgers last season with 76 tackles. That is certainly not a knock on him, as Wisconsin had a very capable group of linebackers.
As Kiper noted in his draft, New England could use depth at the position with the losses of Jamie Collins, Elandon Roberts, and Kyle van Noy in the offseason. Along with depth, age is also an issue at the position.
Dont’a Hightower is 30 years old and is entering his ninth season. He is still a productive player, recording 71 tackles last season, but he could certainly use help at the linebacker position. Kiper addresses some of the departures in his breakdown.
“It’s really tough to predict what Bill Belichick is going to do in a draft, but we know that he likes versatile front-seven pieces,” Kiper wrote. “That’s Baun, who broke out for the Badgers last season with 12.5 sacks and 19.5 total tackles for loss. The Patriots lost linebackers Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins and Elandon Roberts in free agency, so Baun fills a need. Since it appears New England is happy with Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer at quarterback, I’ll stay away from that position.”
New England certainly has a lot of holes to fill. The linebacker position is one of them. Due to their lack of depth, this could be a position they focus on. The Patriots have several ways they can use their first-round pick. With Bill Belichick being a defensive-minded coach, picking a linebacker in the first round does not seem like that much of a stretch. Baun brings the physicality and athleticism that New England typically looks for in a linebacker,
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