New England Patriots: Top first-round targets in 2020 NFL Draft
By Ian Higgins
LB. player. Oklahoma. Kenneth Murray. 23. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 47
Current ILB’s: Dont’a Hightower, Ja’Whaun Bentley
With impending departures of both Jamie Collins and Kyle Van Noy, the New England Patriots interior linebacking could go from the very best to very mediocre without an offseason acquisition. Currently, New England holds bonified star Hightower and rookie standout Ja’Whaun Bentley (who did not receive adequate opportunities in 2019) but could use an additional dynamic presence on the interior of the defense.
As NFL offenses become faster across the board, so do the defenses. Stars such as former Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier and former Buccaneers rookie Devin have shown off the new trend of explosive boundary-to-boundary linebackers who can cover the most ground on the field thanks to their speed and positioning. New England has historically stuck to the generic interior linebacking model, but now it is time for a change.
It is never the right idea to build your roster around the idea of beating an individual opponent, but planning for known matchup issues is never a bad idea. Mismatch tight ends have become a staple on any prolific offense, and current threats Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews reside on two of the most talented offenses in the AFC.
Kenneth Murray is a unique linebacker who currently has a projected 40-time of 4.67, but his tape suggests a player much faster on-field thanks to his understanding of angles and attacking blocking. Such explosiveness from the inside linebacker position gives opportunities to attack downhill and shoot gaps into the backfield.
At Oklahoma, Murray did not spend much time pass-rushing as a 4-3 inside linebacker, but when he did it was mostly as a 3-4 outside linebacker in the 5 and 7-technique. His burst and speed make him a great mismatch against more physical tackles he can beat to the edge.
New England has lacked this kind of athleticism at the inside linebacker position ever since the trend began to popularize in the NFL. An addition such as Murray would be a perfect toy for Belichick to move around the defense and use in a variety of ways in both coverage and blitz schemes.