Will the Patriots again look to Alabama if they target a linebacker in the NFL Draft? - The Boston Globe
INDIANAPOLIS — The talent pipeline from Tuscaloosa, Ala., to Foxborough, Mass., is as strong as any in the NFL, given the bond between Nick Saban and Bill Belichick.
With a bevy of Crimson Tide prospects at the annual NFL Scouting Combine, there’s a strong chance the list could grow. Linebacker Christian Harris could be at the top, and he’d welcome the opportunity.
“You’ve got [Christian] Barmore up there, Anfernee Jennings. I didn’t get to play with Dont’a Hightower, obviously, but he went to Alabama and they love Alabama players, so that’d be pretty cool,” Harris said Friday.
The speedy 6-foot-2-inch, 232-pounder was a versatile and vital cog in Saban’s defense over the last three seasons, collecting 221 tackles, capped by his three-sack performance in the national championship game. Perhaps most impressive is Harris’s durability. He never missed a game in his college career.
Harris said he met with a couple of New England scouts during the week to “talk ball” and break down some plays.
“We watched film. Everybody wants to know about my knowledge,” Harris said. “They were trying to get to know me as a person, as a player, trying to see where my knowledge was at.”
Harris said he had the same message for all the teams that he met with during the hectic week.
“I want them to know that I’m not just a weak-side linebacker,” he said. “I feel like I’ve definitely developed my knowledge of the game. I don’t just know my position, I know everybody’s spot. I can communicate, I can play fast, I can get guys lined up, and I can be a leader on defense.”
In a bit of surprise, the Patriots had not yet met with fellow Alabama linebacker Christopher Allen, who indicated he met with all the other teams.
Following a dominant 2020 season in which the outside linebacker totaled 13 tackles for loss and a half-dozen sacks, Allen’s 2021 season was cut short by a foot injury suffered in the opener.
He said Tuesday he feels he would have “blown this season out of the water” had he been a full participant.
Alabama’s Pro Day is set for March 30, and it’s likely the Patriots will have a strong presence there — Belichick usually attends — and could check in with Allen and the rest of the draft class then.
Utah’s Devin Lloyd, one of the most highly touted linebacker prospects in the class, also met with the Patriots. Similar to Harris, he said the chat was a combination of personal questions and film recognition. He enjoyed having his brain picked by New England’s inquisitors.
“It was good,” he said. “They’re definitely intense, you know, the questions they ask. You know, they’re very successful year in and year out for a reason.”
