The New England Patriots targeted another defensive player on Sunday, with the club selecting its third-straight prospect on that side of the ball of the afternoon.
With the 146th overall pick in the fifth round, the Patriots selected LSU linebacker Bradyn Swinson. Swinson was dominant in his final year with the Tigers, finishing with a team-high 13.5 tackles for a loss, 8.5 sacks, while also leading all LSU defensive lineman in tackles with 58.
Watching his film, one thing that stands out is he’s got great feet and really good vision, also showing an impressive amount of burst when he shoots up to make the tackle. He fights off double teams and the best word to probably describe him, is relentless. He just never seems to give up on a play.
It also feels like a good value pick, as he was projected by some to go a little higher in this draft, and the 6’4″, 255 pound standout certainly feels like a player who will be fun to watch.
One interesting note is the fact that Swinson wore #4 in college, which he switched to from #13 following the death of his friend and former Oregon teammate, Spencer Webb.
“Originally, number four was my rec ball number,” Swinson explained via LSU’s Athletic site. “But my teammate at Oregon, Spencer Webb, passed away in a rock climbing accident. He wore number four. So when I saw that it opened up, that was just the first thing that popped into my head. And I just had to go ahead and get ‘4’ for him. I got a tattoo for him as well.”
Here in New England, that number is held by Antonio Gibson, so it’s tough to say if Gibson would give up that number.
For now, the Patriots seem to have added a solid pass rusher to their defense, which they’ll need. They finished 2024 last in the league in that category with just 28 for the season.
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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.
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