New England Patriots: Ja’Whaun Bentley should challenge Elandon Roberts
By Nick Ziegler
After multiple trade downs, the New England Patriots made their first pick on Day 3. How will the selection of Ja’Whaun Bentley impact the team?
The New England Patriots were very active in the early afternoon, as they traded completely out of the fourth round. While the Patriots made two trades, they were able to acquire a third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, which is certainly good.
With the 143rd overall pick, the Patriots addressed one of their positional needs on the defensive side of the ball. The selection of linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley from Purdue gives the Patriots an inside linebacker that has a lot of size.
Bentley is one of the biggest linebackers in the draft, as he is listed at 6’2”, 260lbs. While Bentley is a linebacker that the Patriots needed, he is more of a run-stuffer and early down player. For the Patriots, they really could have used an inside linebacker that was able to play in space and help in coverage.
Even though Bentley doesn’t fill that need, he will likely be competing with Elandon Roberts for a roster spot this summer. Roberts did not have a good season in 2017, and Bentley will either push him to be better or push him out of town.
Bentley is probably competition for Elandon Roberts at early-down inside LB.
— Kevin Duffy (@KevinRDuffy) April 28, 2018
According to Pro Football Focus, Bentley was one of the highest graded linebackers in college last season, which could mean this is a steal for the Patriots. However, he likely won’t be able to play on passing downs effectively for the Patriots, which will limit him.
New England selects Purdue LB Ja'whaun Bentley. His 91.2 overall grade ranked second among draft-eligible LBs in 2017
— PFF (@PFF) April 28, 2018
At the Senior Bowl, Bentley actually played a decent amount on the line of scrimmage, which could provide the Patriots with some versatility on defense considering his size. While we didn’t see much of that at Purdue, it could be something that helps Bentley stick in the NFL if he can play on the line of scrimmage well.
Next: Complete First Round Grades
Even though Bentley was a good player in college and fills a need on defense, he doesn’t appear to provide exactly what the Patriots needed at that position. With a few picks remaining, we will have to see if the Patriots take a linebacker that can compliment Bentley in coverage. As of now, this appears to be a selection that could replace Roberts.