Phil Perry and Marc Bertrand join Arbella Early Edition with Trenni to discuss Mike Vrabel’s noteworthy team meeting.
Editor's Note: In the lead-up to the 2025 NFL Draft, Phil Perry is identifying the best fits for the Patriots at each position based on the traits that Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf value as well as intel from coaches and scouts.
We've already hit on offensive tackles, interior offensive linemen, tight ends, running backs, quarterbacks, slot cornerbacks and safeties. Next up: linebackers.
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The Patriots may not feel as though they're in need of all that much linebacker help. But if they are, they have options in this year's draft.
Two of Mike Vrabel's former players in Tennessee, Robert Spillane and Jack Gibbens, just signed with New England this offseason. The Patriots also re-signed Christian Elliss after he went from a special teamer to a defensive regular in 2024.
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But Vrabel and his front office did recently release veteran 'backer Ja'Whaun Bentley, and it's unclear exactly how Jahlani Tavai will fit into the scheme implemented by Vrabel and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams.
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Perhaps some depth there would be beneficial. If that's how the team views it, they'll likely be looking for instinctive, high-motor players who've exhibited real pop as tacklers. Tough-minded, violent finishers who are open to playing in the kicking game could be welcomed, too.
Those were all traits that continued to come into focus when looking at what Spillane, Gibbens and Elliss bring to the table. The same is true for the bulk of the linebackers used most frequently by Vrabel during his time in Tennessee.
Rashaan Evans, David Long, Jayon Brown, Dylan Cole, Azeez Al-Shaair and Monty Rice checked similar boxes for the Titans. They didn't possess massive frames, but they were aggressive strikers with the instincts to rack up tackle numbers in the middle of the field and at (or behind) the line of scrimmage.
Which linebackers fit that mold in this year's draft class? Let's dig in...
Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
Campbell has perhaps the best combination of speed and thumping tackling power in this year's draft class. He might not be the most instinctive player at the position, but the 6-foot-3, 235-pounder and second-team All-American was incredibly productive (117 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks) in the best conference in the country.
A shoulder injury -- he had it surgically-repaired last month -- could end up bumping him down draft boards, but if the Patriots want a versatile chess piece for their front seven, then Campbell is one of the most talented available.
Carson Schwesinger, UCLA
Schwesinger has the kind of instincts the Patriots would appreciate in the middle of the field. A first-team All-American, he led the Big 10 in tackles and picked off two passes in 2024.
A captain last season, the 6-foot-2, 242-pounder was a walk-on for the Bruins and continued to bring a gotta-have-it approach to the field three years into his career in Westwood. Schwesigner also has over 500 special-teams snaps under his belt so he could be a staple in that phase as a pro.
He could come off the board in the first round, so he may not be a realistic option for Vrabel unless the team wants to move up from the top of the second round to get him.
Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
He's not the best coverage linebacker in this year's crop. He's not the most fluid athlete. But Stutsman has good size (6-foot-3, 236 pounds), and he aggressively pursues collisions near the line of scrimmage with backs and their blockers.
He's confident, fast (4.52-second 40), and he'd certainly qualify as "violent." Stutsman was also uber productive in college, having compiled over 100 tackles in each of the last three seasons. If the Patriots are looking for a future leader of their defense on Day 2, he seems to have traits they covet.
Smael Mondon, Georgia
Playing hurt is a prerequisite at this position, and Mondon did it in 2023, playing through a foot issue. Despite being lighter than some others on this list (6-foot-2, 224), he has the change-of-direction skill and range to cover ground and be a productive tackler.
A former five-star recruit, Mondon might slide in the draft a bit because of durability questions, but he was a three-year contributor at Georgia and has NFL-caliber athleticism.
Demetrius Knight Jr., South Carolina
Already 25 years old, Knight won't be for everyone in the draft. He spent four years at Georgia Tech and another at Charlotte before landing in Columbia, where he quickly earned the title of captain and piled up 82 tackles, including eight for loss.
The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder has good length (33-inch arms, 10-inch hands), and has been a special-teams staple throughout his college career (almost 700 special-teams snaps). He has work to do to become a reliable coverage player, but he may complement the group the Patriots have already in Foxboro as a run-stuffing off-ball hitter.
Kobe King, Penn State
A two-year starter and 2024 captain for the Nittany Lions, King could eventually be someone's starting middle linebacker as a pro. The 6-foot-1, 236-pounder has legitimate run-game instincts and plays like he loves contact.
He's another core-four special-teams option with an old-school mentality. No, he's not going to be a shutdown player in coverage. But his knack for finding the football on early downs, his football character, and his affinity for driving ball-carriers to the turf make him a fit for this list.
Jack Kiser, Notre Dame
Instincts. Instincts. Instincts. It's easy to understand how Kiser developed his best trait at the second level. He set a Notre Dame record by playing in a ridiculous 70 games over six seasons. He'll turn 25 early in his rookie season, but teams may be willing to overlook his age because of his processing power on the field.
He led the Irish in tackles last season (90) and was voted by fellow players as the best linebacker on the American Team during the week of Senior Bowl practices. Another special-teams no-doubter (975 kicking-game snaps), Kiser graduated cum laude with a business analytics degree and then earned his master's in accounting.
Cody Simon, Ohio State
One of the most eye-popping numbers from this group in "The Beast" guide by The Athletic's Dane Brugler is that Simon played 1,861 career snaps over five seasons and never committed a penalty. He helped the Buckeyes to a national championship last season, starting all 15 games, making 112 tackles (12.5 for a loss), and racking up seven sacks.
His length (31-inch arms) may hurt his ability to get to that level of productivity at the next level, but late on Day 3, you could see the fellow Buckeye in the head coach's chair in Foxboro taking a chance on Simon as a special-teamer and an early-down 'backer with real run-game recognition skills.
Nick Martin, Oklahoma State
The next few names on this list would be considered undersized, perhaps in the David Long (5-foot-11, 223 pounds) mold of Vrabel linebackers. Martin (5-foot-11, 221 pounds) deserves to be the first listed because his combination of athletic juice and football IQ made him a terror for opposing offenses in 2023. He made a whopping 140 tackles (16 for a loss) and was named first-team All-Big 12 that season, showing off NFL-caliber athleticism.
After missing seven games with a knee injury last season, Martin was healthy enough to work out during the pre-draft process and impressed with a 4.53-second 40, a 10-foot-3 broad jump and a 38-inch vertical.
A two-time captain, Martin would be an easy fit in the kicking game in New England and would fit right in with a linebacker room loaded with instinctive tacklers.
Jay Higgins, Iowa
There are only two unanimous All-American defenders in this class, and Higgins (6-foot-1, 224 pounds) is one of them. (Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts was the other in 2023.) No one had more tackles over the last two years (295) than head coach Kirk Ferentz's every-down leader from the second level.
Higgins is unafraid to get downhill and jar runners, and his engine always seems to run hot. His intensity and understanding of offensive concepts will give him an opportunity to stick on an NFL roster despite his lack of prototypical size.
Eugene Asante, Auburn
Explosive and unrelentingly tough, Asante is going to have special-teams coaches clamoring for him on Day 3 of the draft. He has over 700 kicking-game reps under his belt, and his 4.48-second 40-yard dash at 6-foot-1 and 223 pounds would indicate he'll continue to stand out in that area as a pro.
He spent three years at North Carolina before transferring to Auburn, where he led the team in tackles in 2023 (86, 8.5 for a loss, 5.0 sacks). With his impressive range, he'll go sideline to sideline and try to run through anyone who gets in his way.
Can he hold up with that playing style at his size? Late in the draft, the Patriots may be willing to spend a pick on him and find out.
