2015 NFL Draft: New England Patriots Select Xzavier Dickson With 253rd Overall Pick
With their final selection in the 2015 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots grabbed Alabama outside linebacker Xzavier Dickson. By the seventh round, talent is usually scarce, but the Patriots scored big with the selection of Dickson.
Certainly, the plucking of Dickson from the remaining pool of players is another indication that the Patriots are shifting their defensive emphasis from the secondary to the front seven. Out of the 11 players the Patriots took in the 2015 NFL Draft, five are front seven players.
Versatile as both a 3-4 outside linebacker and a 4-3 defensive end, Dickson comes from a winning defensive on a winning team. There’s two things Bill Belichick likes: versatility and a habit of winning. Dickson is looking good so far.
Now, there are few things about Dickson that induce some degree of frowning. He could stand to be more muscular, his athleticism leaves something to be desired, and has been known to lack competitiveness at times. If Dickson doesn’t improve in these areas, the dog days of the summer will be brutal for the rookie.
More from Patriots Draft News
- Early round Patriots draft picks you’ll hate now, love later
- Musket Fire Roundup: Our own final predictions for round 1
- Breaking down the Patriots’ options in the 2023 NFL Draft
- Special DraftKings Massachusetts Promo Code for NFL Draft – Get $150 on ANY $5 Bet
- Should the Patriots draft QB Hendon Hooker if he’s available to them?
That being said, Dickson finds ways to get into the backfield, as evidenced by his total of nine sacks in 2014. If the Patriots aren’t going to have a lockdown corner, they will need to generate pressure, and it looks like Dickson could help them out in that department.
Overall, Patriots fans have to feel pretty good about this pick. After all, Dickson comes from the Alabama linebacking pipeline that always seems to produce gems, year in and year out. It would be prudent of Dickson to latch on to ‘Bama alum Dont’a Hightower as soon as possible, and learn more about what it takes to be a Patriot.
The selection of Dickson with their last pick means that 2015 was a Rutgers-free draft for the Patriots. It’s stunning, really.
#Patriots final pick is Alabama LB Xzavier Dickson. With that, the Patriots have made it an entire draft without one Rutgers player.
— Erik Frenz (@ErikFrenz) May 2, 2015
Well, that does it for the 2015 NFL Draft. Keep tabs on Musket Fire in the coming hours and days for further analysis and thoughts on the Patriots’ 2015 draft class.