New England Patriots Predraft Position-by-Position Breakdown: Linebackers

NFL labor drama dominates the headlines but teams must keep their eye on the ball as they prepare for the upcoming draft.  This is the position-by-position status I believe the New England Patriots are looking at as they prepare for the 2011 NFL draft.

Linebackers

Interior Linebackers

After having been voted the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2008 Jerod Mayo struggled with injuries in 2009.  Mayo’s return to health in 2010 helped re-establish himself as one of the best young linebackers in the game.  Mayo finished 2010 leading the NFL in tackles and being named All-Pro.  He is one of the NFL’s finest pursuit linebackers and, in my opinion, became a much more solid LB at the point of attack.  

2010 second-round draft pick Brandon Spikes quickly established himself as a contender for a starting position providing a tough, physical presence at the point of attack, somewhat reminiscent of a young Ted Johnson. 

He ended up finishing the season with eight starts in his first 12 games before being suspended for the final four games as the result of a positive drug test. 

Spikes blamed the results on an ADHD medication.  No idea if that’s feasible but one thing is clear with Spikes; he has had his share of off-field drama, something that Bill Belichick typically frowns on.

Gary Guyton is a quick LB at his best in the open field.  He generally replaces Spikes in passing situations.  Guyton had a mediocre 2009 season as he had been forced to play inside and often asked to do something he really didn’t do particularly well. 

The addition of Spikes in 2010 allowed Guyton to return to a more suitable role.  Guyton can play outside LB as well, excelling at covering running backs, but is a liability if he gets put in a situation where he needs to set the edge on a running play.

Dane Fletcher was a surprise addition to the Patriots' 2010 roster having made the club out of camp as an undrafted free agent.  Fletcher made the most of his opportunity making several big plays including a couple of sacks, a forced fumble, fumble recovery and his first career interception.  Fletcher was also a solid special teams contributor.

Special teamer Tracey White rounds out the roster.

Position Summary

A healthy Mayo and a drama-free Spikes give the Pats a couple solid building blocks at interior linebacker.  Throw in Guyton and his pass coverage strengths along with Fletcher and you have the makings of a good young unit.

Mayo and Guyton will be entering their fourth NFL seasons with Mayo having two years left on his original five-year contract while Guyton will be in a contract year.  

Outside Linebacker

Jermaine Cunningham is the most important player at the OLB position in New England.  Cunningham entered the 2009 season nicked up and, although he missed only one game, the injuries definitely left him behind as far as preparation was concerned. 

Once Cunningham had returned to health he seemed to make a significant contribution to a defense that started the year as a liability but finished on a much stronger note.  If Cunningham can hold his own against the running game I think he’ll have a very high ceiling as a player. 

My prediction is that Cunningham will develop into a Pro Bowl-caliber player, though I don’t know that he will necessarily be recognized as such playing in a Belichick system that rarely produces the big sack numbers for OLB’s that Pro Bowl voters focus on.  (I’m not forgetting about Lawrence Taylor but that was 20 years ago and Mike Vrabel’s 2007 is definitely a rare exception, not the rule.)   

Rob Ninkovich started 10 games for the 2010 Patriots.  A lunch box-type guy who doesn’t overwhelm anyone with his physical skills.  He is a tireless pursuer but can struggle at the point of attack. 

Tully Banta-Cain is a situational pass-rushing-type OLB who, like Ninkovich and Guyton, struggles with setting the edge on running plays.  Banta-Cain drifts in and out of the starting lineup based on the opponent.  His future in New England will be directly affected by this year’s draft. 

My best guess is Banta-Cain will have to show he can effectively contribute to the pass rush better than anyone New England drafts, otherwise he may be replaced in favor of a superior special teams player. 

Fletcher and Guyton two players already covered in the ILB section have made contributions as OLBs as well.

One dark horse to occasionally be called on to play some pass rushing OLB is DL Eric Moore.  Moore is a “tweener” who is certainly not a lock to make the team let alone play any LB but, like Fletcher, seemed to make an inordinate number of plays considering his playing time.

Marques Murrel was signed, released and re-signed during 2010.  His future on the roster is almost certainly tied to his ability to compete for a special teams spot. 

Position Summary

The OLB spot came under fire from many Patriots fans as well as the media in 2010.  The single biggest complaint was the inability for the Patriots to muster any type of pass rush. 

That complaint certainly has some merit but folks looking to see DeMarcus Ware-type numbers out of anyone playing in a DE/OLB position in New England are generally going to be disappointed. 

Belichick’s defenses over his Patriots, Jets and Browns days have often been “bend, don’t break” type of defenses. 

They take away the big play and force the opponent to properly execute lots of more conservative plays instead.  That’s what two-gap 3-4 defenses do. 

One mistake in execution by the opponent—whether it be a poorly executed running play, penalty, dropped pass...you name it—puts the opponent in a less-than-favorable position and the Patriots capitalize on it. 

Pundits don’t often recognize it, preferring to see the ball movement as a sign of weakness, the mistakes by the opponent as good fortune and the success of the Patriots defense as difficult to explain considering their lack of statistical support, but at the end of the day the Patriots have probably scored more points than the other guys.

(PS: Those observations coupled with the lack of “sexy” stats are what led to the whole Super Bowl era belief that the Patriots were winning without great players. Far from the truth). 

The Patriot defense in 2010 was young and a work in progress.  There is such a thing as bending but the 2010 Pats broke on more than their fair share of occasions as well.  The OLBs' (and DEs') lack of pass rush was part of the problem but what I believe was even more critical was the inability for the OLBs to set an edge on running plays. 

That gave the opponent access to their entire offensive playbook on almost every down and distance situation and kept Belichick and his staff from forcing teams to become one-dimensional. 

Linebacker Summary

Overall fans of the New England linebacker unit have a good deal to feel optimistic about.  Spikes and Cunningham both showed flashes of being “plus” players.  They are just two of eight players drafted in either the first or second round of the two previous drafts.  Along with fellow second-round picks Patrick Chung, Ron Brace, Darius Butler and first-round pick Devin McCourty, this infusion of talent made New England the youngest defense in the NFL in 2010. 

I expect that defense will improve in 2011 and that Cunningham and Spikes will contribute directly to that growth.  

However don’t be surprised to see an LB selected within the first three rounds of the 2011 draft.  I feel like I keep saying that during every position summary but that’s the luxury of having six picks in the first three rounds. 

I’m thinking Georgia’s Justin Houston’s size is desirable but he will probably be off the board before Belichick starts looking for LBs, unless of course he surprises everyone and chooses him instead of one of the more commonly predicted picks Watt/Kerrigan/Jordan at DE.

I think a more likely pick is Arizona’s Brooks Reed or Texas’ Sam Acho, with guys like Fresno State’s Chris Carter being a later-round consideration.

Check out my other reviews:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/634373-new-england-patriots-pre-draft-position-by-position-breakdown-running-backs

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/640196-new-england-patriots-pre-draft-position-by-position-breakdown-receivers

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/631047-new-england-patriots-pre-draft-position-by-position-breakdown-defensive-line