New England Patriots 2018 NFL mock draft: Projecting the first 3 rounds

Round 3, Pick No. 95: Malik Jefferson LB. Texas

Malik Jefferson has been labeled as the next Jordan Hicks, and the Pats would love a player like that anchoring their defense.

Jefferson is a great long athletic linebacker, who is very explosive on the football field. Outside of Dont’a Hightower, the New England Patriots lack a good linebacker presence and someone that can make lots of good plays like Jefferson did at Texas.

Having great recovery speed and man coverage ability means that eventually, he could develop into an elite level linebacker. If in the right situation, there is no reason how Jefferson wouldn’t thrive.

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He needs to prove his 2017 campaign wasn’t a fluke and play with some more energy, but other than that Jefferson is a fantastic find at the end of the third round. He’s the type of player that can take over a game, and make the other team know he is there.