New England Patriots 2020 NFL Draft: Ladarius Hamilton fills need at LB

NFL prospect Ladarius Hamilton fits a need at linebacker for the New England Patriots in the later rounds of the draft.

There are New England Patriots rumors flying all over the place about their quarterback position, wide receivers, and tight ends. And justifiably so. I have written extensively that these are needs that the Patriots can ill-afford to ignore in the NFL draft in three weeks.

Yet, that hasn’t stopped the team in the past. Having lost All-Universe tight end Rob Gronkowski to retirement, the Patriots nevertheless did nothing in the NFL draft in 2019 to try to fill his gargantuan shoes.

Zilch. Zero.

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The result, almost zilch, zero production from that position during the 2019 season. So anything’s possible.

So, those are the positions where most of the pre-draft attention has gone along with filling depth holes on the offensive line. All are justifiably so. Yet, another position on defense has been riddled with free agency defections. Linebacker.

The New England Patriots have lost talent as Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts (who was also a Patriots captain) defected to Patriots South, Miami while Jamie Collins bolted to Patriots MidWest, Detroit. Van Noy and Collins were hybrid outside/inside linebackers while Roberts was more of an inside run-stuffer.

In my recent wish list mock draft, I suggested Ohio State’s Malik Harrison for the Patriots in the 4th round.

Harrison brings a lot to the table.

Here’s how I put it:

"There’s a lot to like about Harrison. Good size. NFL.com has him at 6’3″ tall and weighing 247 pounds and ran a 4.66 forty yard dash with a 36″ vertical. Nice speed and athleticism for the position. Just about right."

If they can get him there, great. IF … but … Even if they land Harrison, they’d still need additions at linebacker.

A New England Patriots rumor: Ladarius Hamilton might fill some holes at linebacker.

The loss of three active and productive linebackers, two of whom were extremely versatile and could play multiple roles on the defense both as rush outside linebackers or inside players, leaves the New England Patriots very thin at the position.

They have little depth inside behind hybrid Dont’a Hightower. Ja’Whaun Bentley and recently signed free agent Brandon Copeland are the primary depth. One potential college player who might help plug the gap is La’Darius Hamilton from North Texas.

NFL.com has Hamilton at 6’3″ tall and weighing in at 262. That is good size for a Patriots’ inside linebacker. Yet, NFL.com notes that Hamilton, “Played as an odd-front end for much of 2019, but will likely be targeted as a 4-3 base end as a pro.” and that his speed was 4.89 in the 40-yard dash (not great).

That’s the downside and why Hamilton is likely to be an undrafted free agent (UDFA). The possible upside, however, is that he was productive at North Texas. NFL.com notes that he racked up 8.5 sacks and 39 total tackles in 2019. Not bad.

NFL.com cites some of his attributes:

"Has anchor power and length to post up on the edgeAble to generate pop into initial contactAlters rush speed working fast behind a “changeup.” Is fairly intent on smacking the quarterback in every gameRush hands are violent and could have life with more coachingPlay has good edge and physicality to it"

So why rumor Hamilton to the New England Patriots?

A few reasons come to mind as to why Ladarius Hamilton would be worth taking a flier on by the New England Patriots either in the 7th round or as an undrafted free agent.

While NFL.com lists him as a defensive lineman, NFLDraftScout.com pegs him primarily a defensive end but also lists outside linebacker as his secondary position. Ergo, position flexibility, a New England Patriots’ favorite trait.

Hamilton has experienced pass rush, i.e. sack production at North Texas. Yet, with his size, the possibility exists that New England’s linebacker coach Jerod Mayo could use him as a multi-role component of his linebacker corps. He could provide inside linebacker versatility as both a pass rusher, helping replace Collins’ production, and a run stuffer helping to replace Roberts’.

He also could put his hand on the ground and rush as a defensive end from the outside. All-in-all there would be little investment risk in either drafting Hamilton in the 7th round or signing him as an undrafted free agent (UDFA).

Conversely, the possibility of adding position versatility and pass-rushing at linebacker is there if he works out.

As such, drafting or signing Ladarius Hamilton has low risk, high reward potential for the New England Patriots, especially as a UDFA. Why not take a chance?