Patriots: Why did Bill Belichick draft player who recently tore ACL?

At first, everyone was convinced the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick had one of the best NFL Drafts top to bottom after the last few years didn’t go so well.

And that’s still not necessarily wrong — though the next year or so will give us better insight.

However, we overlooked one glaring aspect of the team’s decision making in Cleveland, and that was the selection of Michigan linebacker Cameron McGrone.

Why? Well, he was taken in the fifth round and may not play at all in 2021 due to a torn ACL he suffered back in late November. It seems many let that slip their minds because of the value the Patriots had gotten.

Patriots LB Cameron McGrone may not play at all in 2021 due to a torn ACL.

Here’s what Bill Belichick told ESPN’s Mike Reiss:

"“We’re not really sure what the expectation of availability is for him, but we’re prepared certainly to not have him available this year. There are no false expectations here. He should have a good recovery and be a good player; we’ll just have to see what the timing is on that.”"

On top of boasting an incredibly crowded linebacker room, this Patriots selection was seemingly wasted. Even if the plan was not to have McGrone play much in 2021, the fact that he may not take the field at all deprives him of valuable learning experiences, which could’ve at least been achieved if he were to be available for parts of next season.

A year wasted for a late-round pick is significant, especially if said player loses their rookie campaign.

OK, now for the good news. McGrone is a middle linebacker and was a five-star recruit coming out of high school. Before tearing his ACL, he was a force for the Wolverines, racking up 91 tackles (11 for a loss) and three sacks across 16 career games.

The Patriots could be playing the long game here. After the 2021 season, all of Dont’a Hightower, Ja’Whaun Bentley and Raekwon McMillan will be free agents. Knowing they had a crowded LB room this coming year, perhaps the plan was for McGrone to hang out, learn the playbook, soak it all in, and then step right into a big role when he’s available in 2022 since the status of the middle of the defense is unclear.

Even so, that’s a roll of the dice in every sense of the word. McGrone has only played in 16 career college games and his pro career will be delayed because of a significant injury.

Then again, we probably have to trust Belichick’s evaluation of players, especially defensive ones, in the later rounds.

3 Patriots standouts who are entering their final year in NE

Here are three New England Patriots standout players who are likely reaching the end of the road with the organization this season.