Mack Wilson’s ‘Second Chance’ With New England Patriots Reinforced By 2022 Draft Class

Ten selections were made by the New England Patriots in the 2022 NFL draft. No linebackers were among them.

But Mack Wilson, who arrived in a March trade with the Cleveland Browns, can be viewed as an extension of the incoming class for head coach Bill Belichick and position coach Jerod Mayo.

The Alabama product was selected in the fifth round back in 2019 after earning second-team All-SEC honors as a junior. He turned 24 years old in the weeks leading up to being acquired in exchange for edge-rusher Chase Winovich.

“First off, it’s a blessing to be able to get a fresh start,” Wilson told reporters during his introductory video conference on Tuesday. “I kind of look at it sort of like a second chance. I’m approaching it like a pro, just coming in with that mindset to work hard and earn everything that I can and build that trust amongst the rest of the guys that built this foundation here last season.”

Wilson totaled 71 tackles, including five for lost yardage, with one sack during his final season with head coach Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide. Along the way came five pass breakups and two interceptions for the 6-foot-1, 233-pound Butkus Award semifinalist in the middle of the defense.

Processing with speed and pursuing with strength, he was seen as a modern three-down player at the NFL level.

Eliot Wolf, now the director of scouting for New England, held the title of the assistant general manager in Cleveland when Wilson slid all the way to No. 155 overall. The off-the-ball linebacker went on to log 14 starts and 88% of the defensive snaps as a rookie while tallying 88 tackles to go with one sack, one forced fumble and one pick.

But Wilson would log just 14 more starts for the Browns from there.

He played 43% of the defensive snaps in his second campaign and 21% in his third campaign, which brought a 52% share of the workload on special teams.

“Obviously, things didn’t work out for me in Cleveland,” said Wilson, now 43 games into his NFL career. “With me just coming along with being traded here, being a part of this organization and just how everything’s ran here, how the guys work here, just how it’s so well-structured and old-fashioned, I feel like at this time in my career it’s something that will really help me take my game to the next level. I’m happy, I’m super blessed to be a part of it. I just can’t wait to get things rolling officially when everybody’s back.”

The Patriots stand in transition at linebacker. The size and speed of the position have changed. And two months into the new league year, veteran starters Jamie Collins, Kyle Van Noy and fellow former Alabama standout Dont’a Hightower all remain free agents.

But Ja’Whaun Bentley, a 2018 fifth-round pick out of Purdue, re-signed in March after leading the defense in tackles last season and starting 16 contests. Raekwon McMillan, a 2017 second-round pick out of Ohio State, reached an extension while on injured reserve last fall due to a torn ACL. And Cameron McGrone, a 2021 fifth-round pick out of Michigan, also returns from an ACL tear after redshirting his rookie year on the non-football injury list.

Their mix of experience and youth drew mention from Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh in the midst of the draft.

“Really excited about that group,” Groh said of the depth chart last Friday night. “Excited to see Cam McGrone was able to get on the field a little bit last year, excited to see him be in an expanded role. He’s kind of an additional draft pick. … That all kind of counts to getting younger, getting faster, being a tough team. So being able to add Mack Wilson — I know a lot was going on in free agency, and it was a trade and not a signing — I think that was a really important part of adding some depth to the linebacking corps along with being able to get Ja’Whaun Bentley back.”

That the linebacker room went unaddressed by the war room across seven rounds reinforced those words. The initial draft cards filled out by the Patriots belonged to Chattanooga guard Cole Strange, Baylor wide receiver Tyquan Thornton and Houston cornerback Marcus Jones.

Wilson, who will wear No. 30 in Foxborough like he did in Tuscaloosa, sees the vote of confidence.

“Obviously, the front office, Coach Belichick, seem very confident in the guys we have in the room now,” added Wilson. “Obviously, I feel as confident as well. We got some great guys in there. We just got to continue to build this thing and continue to put everything together. It’s early, so we got time to build everything and see what everybody can do, basically. Everybody kind of has different skillsets, but Coach Mayo will do a great job with putting guys in position to make plays regardless.”