The New England Patriots addressed their need at linebacker with two late-round picks.
After drafting Purdue’s Ja’Whaun Bentley early in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft on Sunday, the Patriots nabbed Arizona State’s Christian Sam with the fourth pick of the sixth round (No. 178 overall).
Sam, who visited the Patriots during the pre-draft process, tallied 96 tackles as a sophomore in 2015 and a Pac-12-best 127 as a redshirt junior in 2017. He also recorded three sacks, 9 1/2 tackles for loss and one interception last season after missing nearly the entire 2016 campaign with a foot injury.
From Sam’s NFL.com draft profile:
Sam is an inside linebacker who has the ability to swing over to a WILL spot if needed. He absolutely “looks the part” and he’s got the play strength necessary for handling inside linebacker duties. Scouts have questions about his overall football character and his play speed is a little below the NFL norm for the position. Sam’s athletic numbers were average at the Combine, but they look good enough on tape. His timed speed could cause him to drop a round or even two, but he has enough talent to become a solid NFL backup who can step into starting reps if needed.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Sam ran the 40-yard dash in 4.75 seconds, the short shuttle in 4.25 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.03 seconds.
