New England Patriots 2021 linebacker playbook: Who stays, who goes

Anfernee Jennings

Anfernee Jennings was a rookie third-round pick from Alabama drafted to play the edge and inside linebacker for the New England Patriots.

He was in on 20 tackles with no sacks while appearing in 14 games. While this author liked the player before the draft and felt fine about the pick, he wasn’t a difference-maker for the Patriots at all this season.

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Having an Alabama background is always a plus for prospective New England draftees but that didn’t take Jennings very far toward making an impact in 2020. He basically didn’t make any.

Jennings along with fellow third-rounders Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene were a trio of high picks who did little if anything in their rookie years to justify their high draft selections by the Patriots’ personnel operation.

Expect more from New England Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings in 2021

Yet none of the three are likely to be jettisoned no matter what their production or lack thereof was in 2020. To cut loose a high draft pick after one year would certainly cast aspersions on the whole personnel operation and its leader, coach Bill Belichick.

That isn’t about to happen, no matter how poor the high picks played in year one (or probably in year two, as well). And it’s not saying here that they should be.

We can only go by the production of draftees in their rookie years, and for the three third-round picks, there was precious little. And it cost New England dearly on the field. Maybe a playoff spot.

Any production whatsoever by the three third-round picks, including Jennings on defense, may have just given the New England Patriots enough to win those few games that determined whether or not they made the playoffs, even if they limped in to do so.

Anfernee Jennings stays.