![\"Texas](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Pats-2-2.jpg\")
Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez goes through drills and testing at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo\/Eric Gay)\n3rd round<\/p>\n
Welcome to Potential Patriots!<\/p>\n
Each day leading up to the NFL Draft on April 23, the Herald will introduce prospects the Patriots are likely targeting position by position. The Pats have 11 draft picks, including No. 31 overall and extra selections in the fourth and sixth rounds. The Patriots are expected to target edge rusher, offensive tackle and tight end, though they could pad their depth at any position.<\/p>\n
Below is a breakdown of the Patriots\u2019 best prospect fits at linebacker:<\/p>\n
1st round<\/p>\n
CJ Allen, Georgia<\/p>\n
Ht\/Wt: 6-1, 230<\/p>\n
Scouting report: A linebacker in the first round would be nothing short of a shock for the Patriots. But if the card does show a linebacker, Allen will be the pick.<\/p>\n
A team captain and defensive signal-caller at Georgia, Allen is a well-rounded prospect who was named an All-American last season. He\u2019s stout, physical and a good tackler. Allen isn\u2019t an elite athlete for the position, but he\u2019s got enough range and plenty of strengths in other areas to ensure he has a long NFL career ahead of him. And like most players on this list, Allen projects as a seamless fit into a Mike Vrabel defense and culture.<\/p>\n
2nd round<\/p>\n
Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech<\/p>\n
Ht\/Wt: 6-1, 231<\/p>\n
Scouting report: One of the most productive players in college football, Rodriguez will be a can\u2019t-miss prospect on Day 2. The Pats likely need to trade up to land him if they have interest, but there\u2019s a good case to do so if he\u2019s within range. Rodriguez is a turnover machine (four interceptions, seven forced fumbles last year) with outstanding instincts and feel in zone coverage. He\u2019s a plus athlete with 4.5 speed. Rodriguez can also slip blocks and tackle in the open field, so if he ever fixes his occasional coverage bust and misstep against play-action, he could be one of the best young linebackers in the game.<\/p>\n
Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez goes through drills and testing at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo\/Eric Gay)
\n3rd round<\/p>\n
Kyle Louis, Pitt<\/p>\n
Ht\/Wt: 6-0, 220<\/p>\n
Scouting report: The smallest prospect on this list, Louis would likely start his career as a coverage linebacker for the Patriots. But there is precedent for Vrabel starting players of his stature, namely ex-Titans draft pick David Long, who logged 26 starts in Tennessee at 5-foot-11 and 225 pounds.<\/p>\n
As for Louis, he impressed at the Senior Bowl where his speed and instinct flashed just as they did on his tape. Louis tallied six interceptions and 10 sacks over the past two seasons, flying around the middle of the field to make plays. He won\u2019t blow up many run-blocks at the line of scrimmage, but few linebackers in this class compare to Louis in space and in coverage.<\/p>\n
4th round<\/p>\n
Keyshaun Elliott, Arizona State<\/p>\n
Ht\/Wt: 6-2, 231<\/p>\n
Scouting report: Well-regarded for his competitive character and football IQ, Elliott has a starkly different game than Louis as a downhill thumper with some questions in coverage. He had 98 tackles and seven sacks last year and finished on the All-Big 12 second team. Elliott projects as a high-floor prospect who may one day become a starter and should at least find himself in a rotation, a la a heavier Jack Gibbens.<\/p>\n
5th round<\/p>\n
Bryce Boettcher, Oregon<\/p>\n
Ht\/Wt: 6-2, 228<\/p>\n
Scouting report: Only five players in major college football had more tackles than Boettcher (136) last season. He has a non-stop motor and competed well at the Senior Bowl, despite an average athletic profile. Fun fact: Boettcher was a two-sport athlete at Oregon, where he also played baseball.<\/p>\n
6th round<\/p>\n
Owen Heinecke, Oklahoma<\/p>\n
Ht\/Wt: 6-2, 227<\/p>\n
Scouting report: An ex-Ohio State lacrosse player, Heinecke played in 13 games for Oklahoma each of the past three seasons and didn\u2019t start until last year. He recorded 74 tackles, three sacks, four pass breakups and a forced fumble for the Sooners in a breakout year. Heinecke ran a 4.62 at the combine, showcasing above-average speed that helps him overcome his lack of size. Early in his career, he may need to stick as a core special teamer.<\/p>\n
7th round<\/p>\n
Scooby Williams, Texas A&M<\/p>\n
Ht\/Wt: 6-2, 231<\/p>\n
Scouting report: Injury concerns and shaky tackling put Williams at the bottom of this list, but his toughness and plus athleticism will have him on NFL big boards. Williams played on a torn meniscus in 2024, his first season at Texas A&M after three at Florida. He\u2019s better in space than he is at blowing up run plays, which could limit him to a career role as a coverage player.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome to Potential Patriots! Each day leading up to the NFL Draft on April 23, the Herald will…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":869091,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2050],"tags":[4955,833,839,7,838,1167,249,2326,2094,6,15,835,61050,208,107497,43714,112574,19972,112575,834,61051,61052,80497,724,837,238,261,505,16165],"class_list":{"0":"post-869090","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-england-patriots","8":"tag-2026-nfl-draft","9":"tag-drake-maye","10":"tag-eliot-wolf","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-mike-vrabel","13":"tag-new-england","14":"tag-new-england-patriots","15":"tag-newengland","16":"tag-newenglandpatriots","17":"tag-nfl","18":"tag-nfl-draft","19":"tag-nfl-news","20":"tag-nfl-patriots","21":"tag-patriots","22":"tag-patriots-2026","23":"tag-patriots-free-agency","24":"tag-patriots-free-agents","25":"tag-patriots-game","26":"tag-patriots-moves","27":"tag-patriots-news","28":"tag-patriots-schedule","29":"tag-patriots-stats","30":"tag-patriots-trades","31":"tag-pats","32":"tag-robert-kraft","33":"tag-seahawks","34":"tag-seattle-seahawks","35":"tag-super-bowl","36":"tag-super-bowl-lx"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116425335595361748","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/869090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=869090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/869090\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/869091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=869090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=869090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=869090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}