Meet Ja’Whaun Bentley, one of the Patriots’ new linebackers
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Here is a closer look at Ja’Whaun Bentley, the Patriots’ fifth-round pick.
Overall pick:
143.
College: Purdue. Position: ILB. Height/Weight: 6-2/260.
Hometown: Glenarden, Md. High school: DeMatha Catholic.
By the numbers: In his 2017 campaign, Bentley started 11 games and played in 12, recording 97 tackles (11.5 for loss), one sack, one interception, three pass breakups, and two forced fumbles. Here’s a look at his pick-6 against Minnesota last season that wrapped up the Boilermakers’ win:
At a glance: Bentley is considered a strong player who relishes contact, but is better suited to play the run than the pass. If that holds true once Bentley gets to New England, he would compete with Elandon Roberts as a linebacker who fits better in that role.
Bentley said Dont’a Hightower is one of his favorite linebackers to watch and that he also loved former Boilermaker and Patriot Rob Ninkovich. He was the second-ranked draft-eligible linebacker in college football in 2017, according to Pro Football Focus’s rankings. He ran a 4.75 second 40-yard-dash and a 7.12 second three-cone drill at his Pro Day.
Back at DeMatha: As a junior, he set the school record for bench-press reps of 225 pounds with 21. The previous record was 17 and had stood for 11 years. He also set the school record for bench-press max at 380 pounds.
“After last season, I know teams will be focusing on me more as a senior, so I have to work that much harder and step my game up to play at a high level,’’ Bentley said in 2013. “I’m also trying to get my numbers even higher in the gym and have a few more big sessions. That way, I won’t have to worry about anybody trying to break my records.’’
As a senior, Bentley recorded 113 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, and an interception returned for a TD as DeMatha went on to win Washington Area Catholic Conference championship.
O Captain! My Captain!: Bentley is the only three-time captain in Purdue football’s history. That streak began with what he did as a freshman. Going into the 2014 season, Bentley beat out a fifth-year senior for the weak-side linebacker starting spot.
“When you work extremely hard like we’ve been doing all summer, you don’t expect anything less than to be where you expect to be,’’ Bentley said ahead of the 2014 season. “I’ve worked extremely hard, but I’ve got to continue to push on because it doesn’t stop here. I constantly have stuff I need to work on every day.’’
Then, six games into the season, when senior linebacker Sean Robinson tore his ACL, Bentley moved to middle linebacker — seamlessly.
“I don’t think there’s another freshman that has taken over a role as big as that and done it as well as Ja’Whaun,’’ teammate Gelen Robinson said in 2014. “He’s a great athlete — everyone can see that on the field. He’s been stepping up lately and becoming more of a leader on the team. He’s made a huge impact this year.’’
Defensive coordinator Greg Hudson said that year that Bentley is “a humble kid’’ who loves football.
“That combination makes him popular with his teammates,’’ Hudson said. “It’s easy for a young guy to have success and not be abrasive. It’s good for the team.’’
Bentley said the success and impact he had as a freshman was what he had hoped and prayed for. That the 2014 season played out like it did reaffirmed his choice to be a Boilermaker.
“It just happened that I was put in a leadership position and put around good people,’’ he said in 2014. “I made the right choice as far as schools. There’s no question about that.’’
All of that led to Bentley being voted by his teammates as a captain for the first time as a sophomore. As he kept up his play and leadership duties, despite suffering a torn ACL in 2015 and battling injuries through 2016, he was voted captain again in each of his final two seasons.
“It means a lot, No. 1, because the players select it, and especially my first time being a captain as a sophomore,’’ Bentley said on a conference call shortly after being drafted. “That really was a big deal because you’re leading guys who are sometimes five years older than you and for them to trust you with that kind of responsibility definitely shows you how much they believe in you and what they think you’re capable of.’’
Miscellany: He majored in organizational leadership at Purdue.
Injury history: Bentley tore his ACL as a sophomore at DeMatha. He tore that same ACL as a sophomore at Purdue. He battled injuries throughout his junior season at Purdue, including an ankle injury.
