The Patriots love versatile defenders. And linebacker Christian Sam certainly fills the bill. Just ask his old defensive coordinator, Keith Patterson.
“Coming out of high school, Christian was a cornerback. Then, he moved to strong safety, and then an outside linebacker,” said Patterson, who was the defensive coordinator at Arizona State the past four years and worked closely with Sam. “And then, shortly after his Arizona State career started, that’s when we sat him down and told him his future was an inside linebacker.”
Is that the sort of career arc that could have him eventually filling the role of situational/coverage linebacker, something the Patriots’ lacked in 2017? That remains to be seen, at least when it comes to the 2018 campaign. But a look at his college work and a chat with Patterson reveals Sam is just the sort of sideline-to-sideline defender who can fill multiple roles and has the ball skills necessary to stick with New England.
The sixth-round pick out of Arizona State is a 6-foot-2, 244-pounder had some struggles at the college level, including a season-ending foot injury in the first game of the 2016 season that ultimately forced him to take a medical redshirt year. But he bounced back last year to nab honorable mention All Pac-12 honors, leading the conference with 127 tackles. In addition, he had 9.5 for loss, three sacks, and two pass breakups.
The Patriots add Arizona State linebacker Christian Sam. Sam ranked eighth among draft eligible inside linebacker with 60 tackles resulting in a defensive stop last season
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) April 28, 2018