Linebacker makes sense although I think might be more of a Ninkovich type hybrid player (unless Rivers already has that locked up).
IDK.
When I think of "linebacker" these days, I'm thinking of a player who's adept at MoF stuff, whether or not he's also adept at edge assignments. IOW who's lining up off-the-ball behind the DT/NT, A/B-gaps, etc.
The Pats current roster appears to have quite a few players who are (or who may be) more or less adept at off-the-line Edge/OLB assignments ....
Hightower (of course)
Van Noy
M. Flowers
Lee (played about half his 2017 snaps in an OLB-type role)
Langi (?)
Rivers (? - possibly a "Nink" type)
T. Flowers (?)
OTOH, guys who are adept at MoF stuff seem a bit scarce and perhaps lacking
that je ne sais quoi? (the Captain speaks French, doesn't he?) ....
Hightower
Van Noy
Roberts
Langi(?)
M. Flowers (??)
Anyway, IF the Pats can actually find
two MoF/ILB/MLB types in this draft class, they might double-dip (say, Evans early and Sam later). If not, they might take one ILB/MLB prospect early who they think can be a fairly immediate contributor, and then also pick up an OLB/Edge type early who might be a fairly immediate contributor and whose assignment scope might be broadened over time (Hubbard?, Jacobs?).
Of course, this could all depend on how they view Langi, Rivers, M. Flowers and Lee (and Roberts, long term), how much they want a Trey Flowers replacement (Ejiofor?).
Of course, BB could also have decided (with the change in DC) that he's bagging the whole hybrid front thing and going back to a 2-gapping 3-4 ... and shocks the crap out of everyone by drafting guys like Hand, ****erson and Andrew Brown to play 3-4 DE. That might change the entire picture for what he wants in LBs.
