There is no doubt that there has been a lot of great New England Patriots defensive players over the last 20 seasons. Linebacker Dont’a Hightower played for New England from 2012-2021. He was a first-round selection by New England in the 2012 NFL Draft. Hightower played a big role on the defense and won a few Super Bowls with the franchise.
Jan 15, 2022; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley (11) tries to avoid the tackle of New England Patriots outside linebacker Dont’a Hightower (54) after a catch in the third quarter of an AFC Wild Card playoff game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
There have been some other noticeable defensive players that this franchise has had over the last 20 NFL seasons. Profootballfocus.com wrote about the top Patriots defensive players over the last 20 seasons.
Dont’a Hightower Headlines New England Patriots Top Defensive Players Over Last 20 Seasons by Profootballfocus
Jan 2, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) is sacked by New England Patriots outside linebacker Dont’a Hightower (54) in the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Nathan Jahnke of profootballfocus.com wrote about the top Patriots defensive players over the last 20 seasons. He has Hightower as one of the primary linebackers. Jamie Collins Sr. was the other inside linebacker. Rob Ninkovich and Kyle Van Noy were the edge rushers. Jahnke said,
“The Patriots’ defense presented an interesting challenge when assembling this roster. Bill Belichick regularly shifted between 4-3 and 3-4 fronts, leaving several players straddling traditional positional boundaries. Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins rushed the passer more often than most off-ball linebackers, while Rob Ninkovich dropped into coverage more frequently than a typical edge defender. Trey Flowers also complicated matters, spending significant time both on the edge and along the interior early in his career while grading better than most true defensive tackles. In the end, the front seven simply consisted of the seven highest-graded players by this methodology.”
Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, and Trey Flowers were three of the starting defensive linemen on this 20-year Patriots best defensive player’s roster. Stephon Gilmore, Malcolm Butler, and Jonathan Jones were the starting cornerbacks. As for safeties, it was Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung. If Hightower had to lead this defense on the field now, there is no doubt that this defense would be very elite.
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