Undrafted rookie could revive Patriots tradition that lasted 19 years

For all the swings and misses Bill Belichick made in the draft, he sure knew how to find hidden gems after the draft concluded.

In fact, no team was synonymous with unearthing stars, long-term starters, and key contributors like the New England Patriots under the greatest coach of all time. However, after 19 years of having at least one undrafted free agent make the 53-man roster, that streak ended in 2023 — the final year of the Belichick era.

Since then, Dell Pettus (2024), Efton Chism III (2025), and Elijah Ponder (2025) have accomplished the difficult feat of earning a roster spot after not hearing their names called in the draft.

Finding quality players from the undrafted free agent ranks in back-to-back years is a small win for a Patriots franchise that badly needed some of those after some truly awful roster management by Belichick. And if Eliot Wolf, Ryan Cowden, and the rest of the team's brain trust got it right again, it looks like the quest to rekindle that impressive streak is heading in the right direction.

Khalil Jacobs could become the Patriots' latest UDFA success story

Let's just say the Patriots have a long history of turning unwanted, overlooked prospects into valuable assets. During that 19-year run from 2004 to 2022, they signed key cogs like Malcolm Butler, David Andrews, J.C. Jackson, Jakobi Meyers, Jonathan Jones, and, of course, recent Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Adam Vinatieri.

Obviously, those are some big footsteps to follow. But by the early returns in training camp, it certainly seems like linebacker Khalil Jacobs could be next in line to become the latest UDFA to earn a spot on the Patriots' roster.

After Thursday's training camp practice, here's what 98.5 The Sport Hub's Matt Dollof had to say about Jacobs' performance:

"Productive day for Jacobs, who has a real shot at making the team as an undrafted rookie out of Missouri (who I had coming here in a mock draft). He was charted for a sack and a pass breakup against Maye, which he could've intercepted. He's got the speed to both blitz and run with pass-catchers, which could make him a valuable reserve in the linebacker room. Jacobs is in the mix to land the No. 4 spot behind Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, and Chad Muma," wrote Dollof.

The 6-foot-1, 227-pound linebacker signed with the Patriots following a four-year college career that included two years at South Alabama and two years at the University of Missouri. Jacobs didn't put up eye-popping numbers at either stop (he totaled 121 tackles, 16 for loss, and eight sacks in 43 games), and he didn't do himself any favors by running a 4.77 40-yard dash at his pro day.

However, none of that matters once you arrive at the next level.

And even though Jacobs' slow 40 may have turned some teams off, he's outperformed expectations to this point. In fact, he even surprised head coach Mike Vrabel with his movement skills.

“But to his credit, he plays a lot faster than whatever his 40 was,” Vrabel said, per MassLive's Mark Daniels. “I don’t even know what it was, but he has a play speed about him, and sometimes he knows where he’s going, and sometimes he doesn’t, but he still kind of goes pretty quick wherever he decides to go.”

Is linebacker a potential problem for the Patriots?

On one hand, the fact Jacobs has turned some heads could be viewed optimistically.

Or you could look at the fact that an undrafted free agent is legitimately vying for playing time as a bad sign about the depth (or lack thereof) at linebacker.

Even if you want to take a glass-half-full approach, it's still clear the Patriots aren't as well-stocked there as they are at receiver, cornerback, defensive tackle, or even along the offensive line. Actually, linebacker is about as thin as tight end, where the only proven commodity is the seemingly ageless Hunter Henry. (Perhaps that's why there's so much buzz about another UDFA.)

Robert Spillane remains entrenched at middle linebacker, and Christian Ellis is a serviceable starter.

Beyond that — you don't have much.

Between Chad Muma, Namdi Obiazor, and K.J. Britt, you don't exactly have a group worth getting excited about. So, maybe the answer will come in the form of an undrafted free agent who's trying to become the latest success story in Foxboro.

But if the Khalil Jacobs situation says anything, it's that the Patriots need to get better at linebacker sooner rather than later.

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