Former Alabama LB Dont'a Hightower earning place among New England's top linebackers
Former Alabama LB Dont’a Hightower has exceeded expectations in his NFL career.
Through 4.5 NFL seasons, the former first-round pick has 330 tackles, 16.0 sacks and 11 passes defensed for the New England Patriots, numbers that make him one of New England’s best-ever linebackers.
According to AL.com, it means a lot for Hightower to be mentioned in the same sentence as great New England linebackers like Tedy Bruschi, Jerod Mayo and Mike Vrabel:
“That’s saying a lot right there,” Hightower said. “I definitely lean on a lot of those guys. Still talk to Mayo day in and day out. I talk to Tedy when I can. I talk to Willie Mac (Willie McGinest) throughout the year. Still try to gain a lot of knowledge from those guys. They see a lot of stuff. It says a lot for me to kind of be put in that, and I appreciate it.”
After a Week 6 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Hightower earned the AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors, something that he doesn’t take for granted:
“It means a lot,” Hightower said. “Definitely appreciate the recognition, but I think we all know that one guy doesn’t make the team, especially on defense. Definitely have a lot of help with those other 10, 11 guys that help. I was just the only one who was able to get singled out. But I appreciate it.”
On Sunday afternoon against Pittsburgh, Hightower had four tackles in a Patriots’ victory. He and his squad will take on the Buffalo Bills next weekend.