Dont’a Hightower: 5 reasons re-signing is great for Patriots

2. Toughness

Dont’a Hightower brings a lot of toughness to the New England Patriots. It’s an underrated thing in today’s NFL. Modern linebackers are usually more fleet footed and fast than Hightower. He’s also heavier than most at 266 pounds. But Hightower patrols the middle of the field as one of the best linebackers in the NFL. Pro Football Focus ranks him as one of the top 20 linebackers in the NFL regardless of position. Most of this revolves around his run defense. However, in 2015, they looked at a very underrated part of  his game – the pass rush. 

"Hightower led all linebackers with a 94.0 pass rush rating, picking up four sacks, two hits, and 18 hurries on 116 rushes. Even though some of that came as a pure edge rusher, few linebackers attack the “A” gap like Hightower."

While he doesn’t always rush the passer, when he does, he tends to make an impact. 18 hurries on 116 rushes is over a 10 percent success rate. Hightower put up similar numbers in 2016. He’s the enforcer of the Patriots defense. With their fast corners, Hightower is asked to own the middle of the field. He’s done it even without Vince Wilfork around to help him for most of his career.