New England Patriots select Ja’Whaun Bentley No. 143 in 2018 NFL Draft
With the No. 143 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected Purdue linebacker, Ja’Whaun Bentley.
The New England Patriots have actually made a pick on Day 3 of the 2018 NFL Draft. After making two trades earlier in the day, giving them six total for the drat, the Patriots stayed at No. 143 to make a selection.
With the No. 143 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Patriots selected Purdue linebacker, Ja’Whaun Bentley. In Bentley, New England is getting a boost in their run defense.
Bentley is a monster of a human being. He stands 6’2″ and weighs in at 260 pounds. He is not someone that will be easy to move coming downhill from the linebacker spot.
Bentley projects as a two-down linebacker in the NFL, as his size limits him in coverage at this point. The more he has to play in space, the less productive he becomes.
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Last season at Purdue, Bentley played in 12 games, finishing the season with 97 total tackles, 11.5 of which went for a loss. He also added one sack and one interception, which he returned 76 yards for a touchdown. Bentley also registered three passes defended and two fumble recoveries.
While a pass rusher is something the Patriots could have used, shoring up their run defense was also a need. Last year, New England finished 20th in the NFL in run defense, giving up 114.8 yards per game.
Had New England not been winning so often, leading to teams abandoning the run game earlier than they had hoped, those numbers could have been even worse. The 4.7 yards per carry that New England allowed was the second-worst mark in the NFL, which tied with the Los Angeles Rams. Only the Los Angeles Chargers surrendered more yards per carry in the NFL.
Bentley was not at the NFL Combine, but at the Senior Bowl, he showcased his versatility. ESPN’s Mike Reiss said he played on the line of scrimmage there, where the speed concerns he has would be limited.
LB Ja'Whaun Bentley was a non-combine invite who played some on the line of scrimmage at the Senior Bowl. Such versatility could appeal to the Patriots. Some rated him lower due to questions with speed.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) April 28, 2018
While Bentley wasn’t rated highly during the draft process, he was productive in college. Pro Football Focus was a big fan of Bentley. Bentley finished the season with a grade of 91.2, which was second best among draft-eligible linebackers this year.
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
Next: 2018 NFL Draft First Round Grades
This is a good selection for the Patriots, as they seemingly found value based on their board and filled a need as well. With Bentley in the fold, Elandon Roberts roster spot could be jeopardy. The only linebackers on the roster who are probably safe are Kyle Van Noy, Dont’a Hightower and Marquis Flowers.