Pats' LB Brooks Ellis is all in on football, but eventually wants to go to medical school

Photo from CSNNE.com

Brooks Ellis wasn't drafted, but he's hoping to carve his name in Patriots' history anyway.

Ellis was one of the many undrafted rookies the Patriots signed after the draft, and he says he's solely focused on making a career out of football. However, unlike a lot of players, Ellis has an idea in mind for his post-playing career: medical school.

Ellis wants to be an orthopedic surgeon at some point in his life, and he plans to submit applications to medical school soon with the hope that he can go whenever he feels the time is right.

CSNNE:

"I'm putting my all into this right now," Ellis said, wearing Patriots gear while standing on the Gillette Stadium turf last week. "But when I get some spare time, I'm finishing applications, and then when I get back in July I'm sending those in.

"If I get accepted somewhere, I'm going to tell them I need to defer until I know for sure what the football situation is going to be. So I'm all in on football, and just in case, I'm going to have that ready to go when I get out of it."

Ellis might have a shot to make the team, as linebacker is one of the positions the Patriots don't have a ton of depth at. He can play all three linebacker positions and he can also play special teams. Versatility is something Bill Belichick looks for in a player, and Ellis certainly fits that mold.

His college coaches have also tabbed him as a natural leader.

Arkansas coach Brett Bielema:

"He came in, started about halfway through his true freshman year -- we weren't a really good football team, we were 3-9 -- threw him in the middle of it, didn't bat an eye, and he got better every game," Bielema said of Ellis on Quick Slants the Podcast. "Sophomore year, [he] really began to mature, develop. He's another guy that the potential -- because we never redshirted him -- to grow in this year is going to be huge . . .

"He's just truly very, very intelligent, compassionate. And the value that he brings is he could be an unbelievable role player. I'm not saying he's going to be a four-time All-Pro or anything like that, but he'll be reliable, dependable, in every phase of the game."

Former Arkansas defensive coordinator Robb Smith:

"He's one of those guys that's not only going to know his job, but what the other 10 guys around him are supposed to do," Smith said of Ellis. "He'll be able to be a leader from that standpoint in terms of helping guys with the system and the scheme. He's very good instinctively . . ."

"This guy's going to be replacing my knee someday. I'm serious. He's going to be an orthopedic surgeon that's outstanding. I know that's what his goals are. But hopefully he gets to play a lot of football between now and then."

With such high praise for Ellis, he should be a player who Patriots fans should keep an eye on during the pre-season.

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