2020 NFL Draft: Zack Baun feels like a great fit for New England Patriots

Keep an eye on Zack Baun as a specific target for the New England Patriots in the 2020 NFL Draft.

With Jamie Collins, Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts all hitting the open market, the linebacker position could be a major position of need for the New England Patriots this offseason. The Pats defense was loaded at all three levels in 2019, with the linebackers being a major reason for their season-long success. That being said, I highly doubt that the Pats will be able to afford to bring back both Collins and Van Noy and could easily end up losing both valuable players.

With this in mind, linebacker/EDGE will likely be a major priority for this team in the 2020 NFL Draft. I am sure they will look to replace these players with less-expensive and under-valued players in free agency, but the 2020 NFL Draft is where they can find guys who can help them now and in the future.

It is always difficult to predict who the New England Patriots will target in the draft, but we know that they value versatility in a big way especially on the defensive side of the ball. With linebacker being such an obvious need and knowing how much the Patriots love versatility, I look at Wisconsin’s Zack Baun as an obvious target for this team in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Baun is considered by most to be a likely late first-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft and would be a perfectly acceptable pick for the Patriots at No. 23 overall. I could also see Bill Belichick and company looking to trade down a handful of picks (we all know how much they love to trade down) with Baun being their specific target even later in the first.

Baun played outside linebacker in Wisconsin’s 3-4 defense and showed an impressive combination of skills at the position. He became a full-time starter for the Badgers as a Junior in 2018, but became a star for the team last season, piling up 75 total tackle, 12.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2019 and was named a first-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America.

Simply put, Zack Baun is a fantastic football player who took his game to the next level in 2019. He proved his worth in college last season and appears to have a bright future at the next level.

You do not have to watch Baun long to see his upside as a pass rusher. He is extremely quick off of the ball and explosive around the edge. Baun also shows impressive short-area quickness and impressive hand usage as a pass rusher. His ability to create bend around the edge is lacking, but make no mistake about it, this guy can create pressure from the edge rusher position.

While Baun primarily played on the line of scrimmage in college, his well-rounded skill-set makes many think that he can play off-ball at the next level. Baun was always strong against the run, setting the edge well and consistently filling rushing lanes. He is a strong tackler who shows good range and can stop most ball carriers in their tracks.

Baun also shows some upside as a coverage player. He was not asked to drop back into coverage much at Wisconsin, but when he was, he looked smooth and under control. Baun should easily be able to handle short zone responsibilities early in his career.

On top of his versatile skill-set at the linebacker position, Baun also shows an impressive combination of mental awareness and competitive toughness. He is an extremely smart player who always seems to find his way to the ball. He reads the backfield well and is always working with a hot motor. Baun has some nice athletic upside, but what is most impressive is his ability to make the most out of what he has.

He is always going to make the correct read and will always be working towards making a play on the ball. His high-level mental awareness and competitive toughness are also major reasons why I could see Belichick falling in love with Baun.

While he may not be the most exciting 2020 NFL Draft prospect around, Zack Baun is undoubtedly a talented guy who could make an immediate impact at the next level. The New England Patriots love versatile, smart and hard-working players who will simply come in and do their job. We primarily focus on their quarterback situation and finding the Pats offensive needs, this defense is going to need some work this offseason and Baun would be a fantastic fit.