According to Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, first-round pick Chandler Jones should see time at both defensive end and outside linebacker next season.
“He’s a perimeter player, a guy that lines up on the end of the line, whether you want to call him a linebacker or defensive end, but he’s an end-of-the-line player,’’ Belichick said, via the Boston Globe. “He’s got great length – height, arm length – very athletic. He came out early, missed part of the season last year with an injury, but the opportunity he’s had to play he’s been very productive against a lot of good players in his conference, so we thought that he’d be able to work against NFL-type tackles.
There’s already been some talk that Jones will play the “elephant” role for them which is to the one that Willie McGinest played for them year’s ago. Jones is certainly a wildcard talent that could end up becoming a game-changing force for them, but he’ll almost certainly need some time to develop before he can be counted on to do so.
New England has to be encouraged with Jones and the addition of ILB Dont’a Hightower, who Belichick compared to Jerod Mayo.
“We’ll see where he fits in here, but I think he’s got some versatility that is different but similar to Mike Vrabel in some respects: playing outside, playing inside, playing down, playing up, that type of thing, where he might have different roles based on what unit we happen to have out there,’’ said Belichick.
Other Draft Notes:
- Belichick highlighted S Tavon Wilson’s ability to play both corner and safety, as well as return kicks as the reason they grabbed him in the second-round.
- Belchick mentioned that Jake Bequette will probably see time at both defensive end and linebacker, and added that he was good pass rushing moves to work with.
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