With such a small draft class for 2017, it seemed likely that the Patriots would sign a larger UDFA class than they had in the past. This proved to be the case, and BYU's Harvey Langi is one of the more notable signees. Langi's $100,000 signing bonus is the most of any UDFA across the league this year.
- Langi’s a versatile linebacker: he lined up for 333 passing plays, rushing the quarterback on 214 of them (64.3 percent), with a pass rushing productivity (PRP) rating of 9.1, which was 22nd out of 44 draft-eligible 3-4 outside linebackers.
- He’s also capable of dropping into coverage, doing so on 119 of those passing plays, but it wasn’t exactly a strength of his. He allowed a reception on every 9.2 coverage snaps (20th out of 28 draft-eligible 3-4 linebackers) and allowed 1.15 yards per snap in coverage (26 out of 28 linebackers).
- Where Langi really impresses is with his performance against the run. Langi lined up for 274 snaps ion run defense, ending up with 29 tackles, 8 assisted tackles and 21 stops. That’s a stop for a defensive win (three yards or less) on 7.7 percent of his run snaps, sixth best out of 32 draft eligible 3-4 linebackers. These numbers against the run are nearly identical to linebacker T.J. Watt, who was drafted in the first round.