Ja'Whaun Bentley

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Ja'Whaun Bentley
refer to caption
Bentley with the New England Patriots in 2019
No. 8 – New England Patriots
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1996-08-24) August 24, 1996 (age 25)
Glenarden, Maryland
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school:
College:Purdue
NFL Draft:2018 / Round: 5 / Pick: 143
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 14, 2021
Total tackles:230
Sacks:2.5
Forced fumbles:3
Interceptions:1
Pass deflections:6
Player stats at NFL.com

Ja'Whaun Louis Bentley (born August 24, 1996)[1] is an American football linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Purdue. He was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.[2]

College career[]

Bentley started all four years at Purdue, from 2014 to 2017.[3] He had 97 tackles including 11.5 for loss in 2017. Bentley was named as an honorable mention for the 2017 All-Big Ten Conference team.[4] He was the defensive MVP of the 2017 Foster Farms Bowl.[5]

Professional career[]

New England Patriots[]

Bentley was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fifth round (143rd overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft.[6] In the team's second preseason game, Bentley recovered a fumble forced by Adrian Clayborn and returned it 54 yards for the touchdown.[7] His strong play in the preseason earned Bentley a starting linebacker role alongside veterans Dont'a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy. In Week 3 against the Detroit Lions, Bentley recorded his first career interception on a pass from Matthew Stafford that was intended for Luke Willson.[8] On September 26, 2018, Bentley was placed on injured reserve,[9] due to a torn bicep.[10] Without Bentley, the Patriots reached Super Bowl LIII, where they defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3.[11] Bentley returned to health in 2019, but with Dont’a Hightower, Jamie Collins, and Kyle Van Noy already in place, Bentley didn’t re-emerge as a key part of the Patriots’ defense. However, the 2020 season saw Bentley take over as the team’s top linebacker, as Hightower opted out of the season due to COVID-19, and Collins and Van Noy departed in free agency. In Week 8, against the Buffalo Bills, Bentley recorded his first full sack of his career on Josh Allen during the 24–21 loss.[12]

References[]

  1. ^ "Ja'Whaun Bentley Bio". Purdue Boilermakers Athletics. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  2. ^ "Patriots' Ja'Whaun Bentley: New England selects in fifth". CBSSports.com. April 28, 2018.
  3. ^ "Jawhan Bentley College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  4. ^ "JaWhaun Bentley | Purdue, ILB : 2018 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  5. ^ Clardie, Stacy (December 28, 2017). "Senior Bentley finishes strong, earns bowl defensive MVP". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  6. ^ Buchmasser, Bernd (April 28, 2018). "2018 NFL draft: Patriots select LB Ja'Whaun Bentley with the 143rd overall pick". PatsPulpit.com. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  7. ^ "Watch rookie LB Ja'Whaun Bentley's 54-yard fumble return for TD". USA Today. August 17, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  8. ^ "Patriots vs. Lions - September 23, 2018". NFL.com. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  9. ^ "Patriots Place RB Rex Burkhead and LB Ja'Whaun Bentley on Injured Reserve; Announce Additional Roster Moves". Patriots.com. September 26, 2018.
  10. ^ Fox, Tanya Ray (November 16, 2018). "Grading the Patriots rookies through the bye week". Patriots Wire. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  11. ^ "New England Patriots win Super Bowl LIII". NFL. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  12. ^ "New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills – November 1st, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 3, 2020.


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