FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- What might the New England Patriots be looking for at the off-the-line linebacker position in the 2018 NFL draft?
Need rating: Second
What's missing? A developmental three-down linebacker who runs well enough to cover running backs out of the backfield but is tough enough to play downhill and defend the run, and thus could play in all packages (similar to Jerod Mayo, selected with the No. 10 overall pick in 2008). The Patriots have pieced things together with their current personnel, with one example being how they have combined Roberts (early downs as run stuffer) with Flowers (speed in sub packages) to essentially form one player.