One area of the New England Patriots’ roster that looks frighteningly thin is at linebacker. Starters Jerod Mayo, Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins are all very versatile and solid, but after them the dropoff is precipitous.
While the squad of back-up linebackers won’t have much effect on the odds on the first Patriots game of the season, an injury to one of the starters could be disastrous to a Super Bowl run.
There’s a very good chance that as many as three of these players could make the team, and while a couple of them will likely stick as special teamers-only, could any of them actually see significant time on defense?
The Pats lost middle linebackers Brandon Spikes and Dane Fletcher, both who played significant snaps. Here are the candidates to replace them:
Beauharnais looks the most intriguing on paper. He played a lot in the 2013 preseason and could have the most defensive upside of anyone.
White and Hull look primarily like special teamers and should have the inside track on a roster spot for that very reason being the most experienced veterans on this list.
Davis and Fleming projected to be primarily pass rushers when they were coming out of college. Fleming has had back-to-back seasons of tearing the same ACL, but if he can avoid tearing it again he could be a potential designated pass rusher option. He has solid size for that spot.
The rookies Gordon, Skinner and McCuller are all intriguing for their own reasons. McCuller is making the jump from division 2, where he was all-everything.
Gordon and Skinner come from good college programs and have special teams potential. But neither were blue chip prospects.
My projection? Beauharnais wins the fourth linebacker spot and sees time both on special teams and on defense. White should also make it, while Gordon makes it for special teams as well.
The wild card? Fleming. He might not see much time at linebacker but could end up being a surprise pass rusher who sees time in sub-packages.