Three LB Prospects That Could Fit Patriots System

Rodriguez became the cream of the crop at Texas Tech. He won the Bednarik Award (the nation's top defensive player), the Butkus Award (the nation's top linebacker), the Bronko Nagurski Award (the nation's top defensive player, this time voted on by a different panel than the Bednarik), and finished fifth in the Heisman voting.

Did him not being named a finalist for the Heisman add any motivation to his plate?

"No extra motivation," Rodriguez said. "This whole process, it's been good. Last season was fun, and I'm happy I did as well as I did ... I was more proud of what we did for Lubbock and west Texas."

Rodriguez would certainly fit into New England's brash style of defense. He racked up 128 tackles, seven forced fumbles and four picks. The senior would likely slide ahead of Jahlani Tavai and Marte Mapu on the depth chart, and could be a player that skyrockets his stock with a good week at the Combine. York might need some more work, especially adapting to the size of the NFL.

The Patriots Could Potentially Spend A Day 2 Pick On A Linebacker

"I proabably played behind 10 NFL defensive linemen," York said. "That's a true blessing. It's probably one of the key reasons why I signed at A&M in the first place. Just looking back on that journey, looking back on all the guys who have played in front of me, man, it's just a pleasure, honestly."

Howell is the big ticket player who's coming out of Texas A&M, and could certainly hear his name called as the Patriots' first round selection at 31st overall. His bend and athleticism match up well with what New England hopes to get out of this deep edge rusher class.

"I think this draft offers a lot of different depth at varying areas, edge being one of them," Wolf said during his first media session. "I think it's a fairly deep class at that position that’s obviously an area of need for our team, so it matches up nicely."

Wolf also mentioned the ability to do multiple things, and another linebacker prospect spoke about his ability to play multiple positions.

"If teams want me to go play some offense, I'm more than willing to do that," said Utah linebacker Lander Barton -- who also moonlighted as a tight end at times. "I think it just kind of adds value, and then kind of looking at the game, I think it helped me. I think it was almost better. My defensive knowledge helped me on the offensive side, because I kind of understood coverages and holes and zones and stuff like that, and the blocking schemes were it was kind of easy to pick up just seeing different fronts and stuff."

Barton's brother, Cody, has been in the NFL since 2019. He knows what it takes to make it into the NFL. So does Rodriguez and York, albeit much different paths traveled. Rodriguez walked onto Texas Tech, and York decided to come out of college a year early.

All three offer different types of body types and skills, and could provide the Patriots with a talented player in the middle of their defense -- and a larger-than-life chip on their shoulders.

"I'm a football savant. I love the game for what it is," York said. "I just look at it through a clear lens that I always have been. ... They still doubting me now. Man, they still feel like I can't do it."