The New England Patriots reportedly have shown significant interest in one of Alabama’s various 2020 NFL Draft prospects.
The Patriots have done “a ton of research” on Crimson Tide edge rusher Terrell Lewis, according to a report Tuesday from Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
From Wilson:
“Lewis has conducted video conferences with the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks. He visited the Philadelphia Eagles prior to the NFL directive that restricted visits to team facilities and private workouts due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots have been doing a ton of research on Lewis, getting in contact with his high school and college coaches.”
Lewis never was a full-time starter at Alabama, and he suffered multiple serious injuries during his college career, missing 10 games with an elbow injury in 2017 and the entire 2018 season with a torn ACL. When he was on the field, though, he was a force, posting the third-best pressure rate of any draft-eligible edge defender in 2019, per Pro Football Focus.
Lewis has good size at 6-foot-5, 262 pounds and displayed impressive explosiveness at the NFL Scouting Combine, testing in the 90th percentile in the vertical jump (37 inches) and the 91st percentile in the broad jump (124 inches). He opted out of agility drills and had his pro day canceled due to COVID-19.
Projected as a Day 2 pick, Lewis would fill a need for New England, which lost top pass rusher Kyle Van Noy in free agency. Patriots coach Bill Belichick, a longtime friend of Alabama boss Nick Saban, has drafted five Bama products since 2010, most recently taking running back Damien Harris in the third round last year.
Alabama safety Xavier McKinney and edge rusher Anfernee Jennings also have been mentioned as potential Patriots targets.
