Analyst Identifies Sleeper LB Patriots' Mike Vrabel Would Love

Mike Vrabel may push for the New England Patriots to select this linebacker in the NFL Draft.

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel on the SiriusXM radio set at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel surely wants to revamp the defense heading into 2025, as it showed serious signs of slippage this past season.

Of course, it will be difficult for Vrabel to solve all of the problems in one fell swoop, as he is entering his first season as Patriots coach.

However, the 49-year-old has already been hard at work this offseason, signing numerous key defensive players in free agency. He also has the NFL Draft next month to add more pieces.

On that note, Keagan Stiefel of NESN has already identified a possible late-round draft pick that Vrabel would love: California Golden Bears linebacker Teddye Buchanan.

Buchanan — who spent his first three seasons at UC Davis before transferring to California in 2024 — racked up 114 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, five sacks and a couple of forced fumbles during his lone season with the Golden Bears, which caught the attention of Stiefel."

"Buchanan’s value is entirely tied to his athletic ability, which was on display at the combine," Stiefel wrote. "Kent Lee Platte gave him a 9.62/10.00 RAS, which ranked among the best of any linebacker who has tested at the combine since 1987."

Stiefel then goes on to note that New England may throw a dart at Buchanan on Day 3 of the draft.

"Buchanan separates himself as one of those potential dart throws because of his intangibles," Stiefel wrote. "New England isn’t going to find a better athlete at the position, but when looking deeper than that you find an instinctual player who has a knack for forcing turnovers and making life difficult for opposing offenses."

The Pats ranked just 22nd in defense this past season, which is something the franchise is certainly not used to. That will likely change under Vrabel, but he will need the right personnel at his disposal.

Perhaps taking a chance on Buchanan will help make the transition to a better defense easier.

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