The New England Patriots, who will be off until training camp starts later this month, currently have 89 players on their active roster. However, only 53 of them will be able to survive the cutdowns on August 31 and ultimately make the team. Over the course of the summer, we will take a look at the players fighting for those spots to find out who has the best chances of helping the Patriots defend their Super Bowl title.

Today, the series continues with another one of New England’s undrafted rookie signings.

Name: Terez Hall

Position: Linebacker

Jersey number: TBD (offseason #68)

Opening day age: 22

Experience: Rookie

Size: 6’2, 235 lbs.

2018 review: After establishing himself as Missouri’s starting weakside linebacker during his 2017 junior season, Terez Hall was able to take another step in his development over the course of his senior campaign: appearing in all thirteen of the Tigers’ games, the team captain proved himself a physical run defender and a disruptive pass rusher — and one of the most reliable players on his school’s defense.

According to advanced analytics website Pro Football Focus, Hall finished the year with 17 quarterback pressures — 4.0 sacks, 3 hits, 10 hurries — on 91 pass rushing snaps. He furthermore added 26 run stops out of 60 total tackles (he also missed 8 tackle attempts), as well as the first interception of his collegiate career. On top of it all, he also forced a fumble while proving himself a productive linebacker.

Even though he had a solid senior season and was invited to participate in the NFL’s scouting combine, however, Hall did not hear his name called on draft day. His undersized stature in combination with some spotty decision making and an inconsistent feel for the game contributed to this — despite his solid résumé and some developmental upside on defense and in the kicking game.

2019 preview: When the Patriots signed Hall during the first wave of undrafted free agency, they added him to an already crowded linebacker corps — one that got only deeper when the club re-signed Jamie Collins Sr. in mid-May. While Collins is no lock to make the team, he is a serious candidate to earn one of the roster spots at the position alongside Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy and Ja’Whaun Bentley.

This, in turn, leaves Hall competing for the fifth spot at best. Even that does seem a bit like a stretch, though, at this point in time: the undrafted rookie, who has $85,000 in his contract, currently also appears to be behind Elandon Roberts and Christian Sam on the linebacker depth chart. Realistically, he will therefore spend his summer fighting not to make the 53-man team but New England’s 10-man practice squad.

In order to achieve this, Hall will have to prove himself a quick learner and a versatile player capable of making the most out of his reps on both defense and special teams. If he can do that on a consistent basis during training camp and the Patriots’ four preseason games, the team might be willing to keep Hall around as emergency linebacker depth on the practice squad. If not, however, his stint in New England will be a short one.