Highly-touted prospects like Alabama LB Rashaan Evans acknowledge Patriots-related connections

As we wait for the final 3-cone times from the defensive backs, here are three leftover Patriots-related thoughts on the combine:


1. Versatile Alabama linebacker Rahsaan Evans, who has been connected to the Patriots by several draft pundits as a possibility at the end of the first round, said he’s followed the career of fellow Crimson Tide linebacker Dont’a Hightower ever since Hightower reached New England.

“I did,” he said. “I actually saw how Dont’a Hightower came from the inside and (the Patriots) moved him to outside and he still had success at that. So I think that was something I looked at as kind of a model for me. If I would have played for them, I feel like I could do the same things that Dont’a does. And I think that’s good, too, because Dont’a is really kind of paving the way for guys like me to show that Alabama players are as versatile as anybody else in the draft.”

2. Tight end Dallas Goedert of South Dakota State has been mentioned by some as a possibility for the Patriots, especially if they end up losing Rob Gronkowski this offseason. Goedert said Gronkowski is his favorite tight end.

“He’s a true three-down tight end. He does it all. He never gets off the field. And that’s just so invaluable to a team,” Goedert said of Gronkowski. “He’s an unbelievable athlete. His speed and his size, not a lot of people have that. He does a great job. He’s a fierce competitor. I love everything I see him do. When he’s running routes, he’s going to get the ball every time. He has that attitude about him I think I have as well. He’s going to beat you no matter what. You see him driving people to the sideline into the cameras. It’s just incredible to watch his mentality and I think I have the same thing.”



3. Vanderbilt linebacker Oren Burks is getting inspiration from Patriots defensive lineman Adam Butler, a former college teammate who beat the odds and landed on New England’s roster as an undrafted free agent.

“He didn’t get a combine invite, but he showed out at pro day and got into camp and made the most of it,” Burks said of Butler. “I think that’s a common thing with the Vanderbilt guys. We are kind of overlooked, but once we get into the league we have guys like Casey Hayward, a Pro Bowler (and) Jordan Matthews. There’s a number of guys that are doing great things in the league, and we are going to continue that streak.”