The Patriots have always liked drafting college captains. It isn’t the sort of thing that will cause New England to specifically target a prospect, but let’s just say it doesn’t hurt: Including this year, in the last nine drafts, they’ve had 70 picks overall. Thirty-two of those have been college captains, or almost half. Among the Patriots’ 22 starters in the AFC championship win over Jacksonville, 11 were team captains for at least one college season, and eight more reserves on the two-deep depth chart held that distinction with their college teams.
So with that in mind, it should be no real surprise that someone like Purdue linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley was on the Patriots’ radar. The only three-year captain in the history of Boilermaker football, Bentley is an unknown commodity when it comes to the NFL, but he certainly scores high when it comes to intangibles.
“I couldn’t have had a better experience coaching him,” said Purdue linebackers coach Nick Holt. “When it comes to intangibles, he gets plusses across the board. He’s a very smart, engaging young man with a lot of personality.”
Of course, the 6-foot-2, 260-pound linebacker — who was taken in the fifth round by the Patriots last month — isn’t just all about intangibles. In 37 college games, he finished with 160 solo tackles, including 29.5 for loss, as well as a sack and a pair of picks.
Known as a middle-of-the-field thumper, if you spend any time at all watching his film, you see a defender with a thirst for contact. He’s clearly a physical presence in the middle with a nice ability to navigate the A gap. It’s something that could propel him into a positional battle sooner rather than later with the likes of Elandon Roberts.
“He’s a little bigger guy than a lot of these hybrid guys you’ll see out there these days,” said Holt. “He’s kind of a bit of a throwback.
“I think he probably runs better than people give him credit for,” he added. “He’s a first- and second-down guy, but he can hold up against offensive linemen, and can also show some third-down ability. We never really took him off the field.”
Ja'Whaun Bentley, #Patriots 2018 5th round linebacker, was a @PFF_College All-Big Ten Team selection last season, with an overall grade of 90.7! ? pic.twitter.com/FOIBHpStn0
— PFF NE Patriots (@PFF_Patriots) May 14, 2018
New England selects Purdue LB Ja'whaun Bentley. His 91.2 overall grade ranked second among draft-eligible LBs in 2017
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) April 28, 2018