Given Bill Belichick’s connection with Nick Saban, it was only a matter of time before the Patriots dipped into that talented group out of Alabama and the Patriots added one of Saban’s linebackers in the third round Friday night.
With the 87th overall pick in the 3rd round, New England selected linebacker Anfernee Jennings out of Alabama, adding a potential impact player to their defense.
Jennings is an interesting story after he had to work to come back from of devastating knee injury he suffered in college where he reportedly suffered artery damage and a blood clot. That injury left him with an uncertain future, including a point in time where there was a question whether or not he’d actually lose his leg.
Jennings suffered the injury back in 2018 in a playoff meeting against Clemson. But according to reports, the surgery to repair his leg was successful and he finished his career strong, starting 14-of-15 games the following season while recording 51 tackles, including 14 for a loss along with 6.5 sacks and a team-best 11 pass breakups.
In his senior year, he finished with 83 tackles including 12.5 tackles for a loss along with 8 sacks. He also had five pass breakups and one forced fumble.
As a result, he doesn’t appear to be showing any long-term effects from his injury and now here he is, two years later, joining one of Saban’s closest friends in Belichick in New England.
He joins Michigan standout Josh Uche, who the team selected earlier Friday night, as the latest addition to the Patriots defense. If all goes well, Jennings will hopefully team up with Uche to make opponents miserable in the coming seasons.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
