Linebacker · New England Patriots

Khalil Jacobs

Rookie

A linebacker in a safety's body — New England is paying attention

The label follows Khalil Jacobs everywhere: linebacker in a safety's body. It sounds like a compliment someone made up to be polite, but it's actually the whole story.

Jacobs is heading into his first NFL season with the New England Patriots. He hasn't played a regular-season snap yet. What he does have is a physical profile that doesn't fit cleanly into either box — big enough to hold the line against a running back, fast enough to stay with a tight end down the seam.

That kind of player is rare, and NFL coaches know it. The Patriots don't have to figure out what Jacobs is yet. They just have to put him somewhere and see what happens.

His first season will answer the question every hybrid player eventually faces: is the label a ceiling or a launchpad?

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