New England Patriots: 7-Round 2018 mock draft pre-Combine
The New England Patriots desperately lacked speed at the linebacker position last season. Opposing teams were able to spread the Pats out and find advantageous matchups against their linebackers with ease. Elandon Roberts and Kyle Van Noy are good football players but the Patriots has to rely on them far too often in less than ideal situations for their skill sets last season.
Dont’a Hightower returning from injury will certainly help the situation. Hightower is far and away the Patriots’ best linebacker and not having him on the field for a huge stretch of the season killed the Pats in 2017. However, injuries have been a major part of Hightower’s career thus far. At this point, the Patriots should almost expect to lose Hightower for at least a few games each year. With that in mind, building up linebacker depth is an absolute must.
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With their first round selection in this mock draft, the New England Patriots hammer this need with the selection of athletic linebacker Leighton Vander Esch.
Vander Esch is a 6-4 240-pound inside linebacker with an extremely well-rounded skill set. His natural speed and quickness from the linebacker position immediately stand out on tape. His ability to range from sideline-to-sideline is legitimate. Vander Esch also shows incredible start and stop quickness which allows him to make crafty moves on the inside.
He is also one of the best coverage linebackers in this draft class. Man-to-man coverage comes natural to Vander Esch and his combination of size and athleticism allows him to matchup well with unique players. Today’s NFL is loaded with big and athletic tight ends who are difficult to match up with. Vander Esch would give the Patriots a legitimate man-to-man option against these kind of tight ends.
Vander Esch is a jack-of-all-trades at the linebacker position whose raw talent and athleticism gives him an extremely exciting ceiling. He would fill an important need for the New England Patriots and should be able to contribute right away.