New England Patriots: Potential defensive targets in 2020 NFL Draft

Anfernee Jennings – LB, Alabama

Anfernee Jennings is a big, 6-foot-3, 260-pound monster of a linebacker. He is strong, extremely powerful, and can play both inside and outside positions on a defense.

Jennings also has incredible awareness while he’s trying to break through the line. He jumps to defend a pass more often than not, and had 11 pass deflections in 2018.

Jennings is going to be more of a run defender and stopper in the NFL than a pass defender. In 2019, he had 83 tackles and 8 sacks while being named First-Team All-SEC. After a redshirt freshman year, Jennings would stay all four eligible playing years… and he has incredible experience in pretty big moments while at Alabama (including a national championship in 2017).

Due to the relationship between Bill Belichick and Nick Saban, the New England Patriots love defensive players from Alabama.

Who better to line up next to another former player out of Alabama in Dont’a Hightower than Anfernee Jennings in 2020? He’s big, explosive, and should cause a lot of trouble for opposing offensive lines at the NFL level.

The New England Patriots have a lot of edge rushers on the roster as it is, so it would be ideal for Jennings to be able to play on the inside. His strength allows him to deflect linemen from getting into his chest, thus allowing him to read the play and make his move. But as the team is always looking into the future, you can never have enough players for a position.