FOXBORO — Consider the potential for information overload. During the Raiders’ first seven passing plays of Sunday’s game against the Patriots, linebacker Dont’a Hightower had six different types of assignments.

He dropped into coverage as a 3-4 outside linebacker, dropped again as a nickel linebacker, rushed the passer from a defensive tackle position in the nickel, blitzed as a 3-4 inside linebacker, covered a running back as a 3-4 inside linebacker and dropped into coverage as a 4-3 outside linebacker.

And on and on it went throughout the day. Hightower has quickly emerged as the Patriots’ most versatile defensive player in their first three games. Against the Raiders, he had a dozen different responsibilities when combining his position and assignment with a particular defensive front.

Yet, the third-year Alabama product has consistently made plays and leads the team with four quarterback hits, is tied for the lead with two sacks and is second with 16 total tackles, 10 of them solo stops. Hightower has shown an uncanny ability to process a bevy of assignments and actually improve his performance.

“It’s more of a nerd thing,” Hightower said. “Going back to college, it was always knowing more about the concept, not just knowing what you have to do. Whenever you know where everybody else is or what the concept is to something, that allows you to play faster. If I know what (Jerod) Mayo is doing on this or Jamie (Collins) is doing on this or what Vince (Wilfork) is doing, that allows me to know that I can be heavy here or I need to be slower on this step. It’s more or less knowing the concepts that helps me.”

Some of Hightower’s assignments overlap. When he rushed from an interior position as a pseudo-defensive tackle on a first-quarter third-and-5, he essentially hit the same gap between the left tackle and left guard that he would have blitzed through as a linebacker anyway. And the edge rush responsibilities in sub packages are fairly standard across the board.

However, the Patriots used him in different capacities in 31 pass plays against the Raiders. As a 3-4 outside linebacker, he dropped twice and blitzed once. As a nickel linebacker, he dropped 12 times and blitzed twice (two pressures). As a 3-4 inside linebacker, he blitzed once and covered a running back twice. As a 4-3 outside linebacker, he was in zone three times and man coverage three times. As a sub package defensive end, he rushed five times and dropped once, plus the interior rush. The variety of duties keeps offenses guessing.

Hightower is the only player bouncing between levels with such frequency. On Sunday, he opened as the left outside linebacker in the 4-3, shed fullback Marcel Reece’s block and tackled Darren McFadden after a 3-yard gain. On the next series, Hightower lined up over wide receiver Rod Streater in the slot and jammed his route. Later, as a right outside linebacker in the 3-4, he cut laterally inside to grab McFadden’s ankle, helping slow the Raider into a 2-yard gain.

Hightower’s pre-snap responsibilities changed on the fly on a play late in the opening quarter. As the left outside linebacker in the 4-3, Hightower was set to cover the fullback, which presumably would have resulted in a blitz, but wide receiver James Jones motioned from the left slot to the right slot. Hightower slid over to Jones, read a screen pass and blew up McFadden for a 6-yard loss.

Hightower’s ability to fly past blocks has led to several big plays. As a nickel linebacker, he got through pulling guard Gabe Jackson to stop McFadden for 2 yards in the second quarter. While lined up in the slot, Hightower got through Mychal Rivera’s pick route to sabotage Reece’s screen catch for a 2-yard loss. Hightower also beat Vikings left tackle Matt Kalil, the fourth pick in Hightower’s 2012 draft class, for two sacks in Week 2.

Hightower has markedly improved his coverage ability, too. His zone drops were a strength against the Raiders, particularly while staying underneath Rivera’s third-quarter seam route, which appeared to be quarterback Derek Carr’s preferred destination.

“It’s more of reading the quarterback and matching the patterns,” Hightower said. “Reading the release from the guy outside then eliminating a lot of routes from the route tree for that next guy, that’s just something that comes from studying and knowing your opponent and the routes they like to run. It’s easier for you to feel it.”

Hightower has also done a good job of peeling out of the zone to make a quick tackle, including a fourth-quarter stab on McFadden after a 1-yard catch and a Week 2 takedown of Cordarrelle Patterson after a 3-yard reception.

With the wherewithal to make plays in every capacity, the Patriots have willingly leaned more heavily upon Hightower in the early going.

“He’s a smart player,” Mayo said. “He’s very versatile. He has the size to put his hand in the dirt and also cover and do a lot of different things for us.

“He’s been doing it for a long time. He has size, good speed and he’s playing well for us. It’s early in the season, and hopefully he can keep it going.”