Each day, following Patriots training camp practice, we'll highlight one intriguing "long shot" to make the roster. What might that player bring to the table for Bill Belichick's club? Who's he competing with for a spot? And what does he have to do to make the club?
FOXBORO -- Tom Brady didn't make many throws on Tuesday, but one that stood out was a weird-looking incompletion to Rex Burkhead. It wasn't that Burkhead botched a catchable pass. It wasn't that Brady's throw sailed on him. The whole play was just slow...to...develop.
The reason? Burkhead was blanketed on the outside by rookie linebacker Christian Sam.
Burkhead tried to run by him, then realized he couldn't, but by then it was too late. Brady wasn't sure if he should be launching it deep or throwing a dart to the sideline. All because Sam's coverage ruined the play.
A former defensive back who bulked up at Arizona State and dropped down to the second level, Sam is an intriguing athlete for the Patriots -- both defensively and in the kicking game.
He's listed at 6-foot-2, 240 pounds, and in many defenses he'd be considered a "Mike" linebacker. Big enough to handle run-game responsibilities in the middle of the field. Good instincts. Physical. Not a next-generation, 225-pound hybrid at the position, of which there are more and more these days.
For the Patriots, though, Sam is a little more of a "Will." That's how Nick Caserio described Sam after New England took him in the sixth round.
New England Patriots
Why? The Patriots haven't exactly gotten on board with the new-age way of looking at linebackers. They still like 'em big. That means that for them, someone like Ja'Whaun Bentley (255 pounds) is more of a "Mike," while Sam -- who is the better athlete of the two -- is more of a "Will."
Regardless of your designation inside the Patriots linebacker room, it may be a difficult position to crack. With defenses in sub for the majority of snaps, there may be only one or two linebackers on the field for large portions of games. And with Dont'a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy still entrenched, those two will rarely be out of the rotation unless there's an injury.
Still, depth is important -- particularly because of the likelihood of injury at this position -- and getting contributions in the kicking game from this spot is important. That's what gives someone like Sam a chance. He'll compete with Bentley as well as Elandon Roberts, Marquis Flowers and Nicholas Grisgsby for work.
Though historically the rate at which late-round linebackers become big-time contributors isn't great across the NFL -- check out the numbers from a 2015 SN Nation study here -- there's good news for Sam on a few different fronts.
First and foremost, the Patriots aren't shy about loading up at linebacker even if that position is being replaced on some level by defensive-back heavy packages. If you contribute on "teams" as a linebacker, you'll have an opportunity. Last year, when the roster was cut to 53, eight 'backers made the club: Hightower, Van Noy, Roberts, Flowers, David Harris, Harvey Langi, Shea McClellin and Brandon King.
Second, as a Patriots sixth-round pick, Sam has a non-zero chance to hit as a roster player. Their history in the sixth round is relatively impressive. From 2010-2017, the Patriots drafted 12 players in the sixth round. Nine are still in the league. Three are still with the Patriots: Roberts, Ted Karras and Nate Ebner. In the last decade, Bill Belichick has drafted 15 players in the sixth round and 11 made NFL rosters at some point.
So even though Sam is a Day 3 pick at a position that seems to be morphing to favor smaller and faster players, there's reason to believe he has a shot at landing on an NFL roster somewhere -- even if it's not in New England.