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New England Patriots Undrafted Rookie Makes Huge Surge at Training Camp
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- New England Patriots Undrafted Rookie Makes Huge Surge at Training Camp
(Eric Canha)
When it was announced that the New England Patriots had signed linebacker Khalil Jacobs mere minutes after the NFL Draft ended back in April, you just had to know there was a strong notion that the team wanted to invest in him, despite not actually drafting him.
Jacobs impressed out of the gate for the Patriots. He had a Top 30 visit with the team, and back at Missouri's Pro Day, he ran a 4.77-second 40-yard dash. Since then, the Patriots may have just found their hidden gem based on what he has shown in training camp over the last two weeks.
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Per ESPN's Patriots reporter Mike Reiss, Jacobs has made his way up the ranks in the linebacker room in Foxborough. He has now surpassed K.J. Britt on the depth chart in a backup role with the team.
At the start of camp, Britt seemed to have the veteran's advantage in a group led by players like Christian Elliss and Robert Spillane . Since then, Reiss reported an uptick in Jacobs' production on the field as recent as August 4th.
Jacobs had been getting reps on second-team drills with Britt and Chad Muma and working on punt coverage. In the days that followed, it was reported that Jacobs had surpassed Britt in terms of his production on the field during camp.
As of last Friday, August 7th, Jacobs had recorded some pass rushes as well as an interception, per 98.5 The Sports Hub.
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Head coach Mike Vrabel saw this coming a mile away, apparently. Vrabel was quoted about the UDFA's stats when he said, "The math ain't mathing," because what the former linebacker himself saw was something else. Apparently, Jacobs plays the game with the "see ball, get ball" mentality, as Vrabel stated.
Jacobs played 43 college games between South Alabama and Missouri. He ended his collegiate career with 121 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, eight sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception.
With preseason play on the horizon, Jacobs may be seeing a ton of time on the field. The question that remains going into the matchup against the Indianapolis Colts is whether Jacobs takes his hard work from the practice field into an actual professional game.
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