Hightower is an ILB in a slightly different mold than say Luke Kuechly. He certainly has the strength and technique to move right through blocks, but gets downhill much better than his counterpart from Boston College. While at Alabama, Hightower also showed versatility and played multiple positions on defense, even rotating down to LDE in nickel situations. However, at 6’2” and 265 lbs, his speed and quickness are a liability.
While he may not put up astronomical tackle numbers, Hightower has the big play skills to really fill up the stats sheet. With his pass rushing skills, sacks and tackles for a loss should come at a somewhat regular basis. Those intangibles help, but I’m tempering my fantasy expectations due to lack of speed. There’s no real fantasy value in Hightower in New England this season, though those of you in dynasty leagues may want to take a flyer on him and stash him away.