Patriots Sign Ellis

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots announced the signing of former Arkansas linebacker Brooks Ellis as an undrafted free agent Friday.

Ellis played in 49 games with 41 starts and served as a team captain during his junior and senior seasons at Arkansas. He closed out his career with 31 straight starts, 290 tackles, including 22.5 for loss, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, 13 pass breakups, and four interceptions.

As a senior in 2016, Ellis led the Razorbacks in tackles for the second straight year with 83, recorded a team-high 7.0 tackles for loss and returned one interception 47 yards for a touchdown during a win at then-No. 15 TCU on Sept. 10.

Ellis averaged 7.85 tackles per game in 2015 to eclipse the 100-tackle mark in a season for the first time of his career. He led the Razorbacks with 102 total stops, including 67 against Southeastern Conference opponents, and added 8.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Ellis had eight or more tackles six times, highlighted by three double-digit tackle efforts, and was one of two SEC defenders to log 15 or more tackles in a conference game twice.

During his sophomore campaign, Ellis started and participated in 11 games. He ranked second on the team with 72 tackles, combining for 200 stops with SEC leading tackler Martrell Spaight.

Ellis earned a spot in the starting line-up for the final four games of his freshman season, recording 33 tackles with 2.0 for loss.

In the classroom, Ellis is a four-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member and became the first Arkansas football student-athlete to earn Academic All-America honors twice in a career. In addition, Ellis was named SEC Scholar Athlete of the year and was honored as one of 12 finalists for the 2016 William V. Campbell Trophy, considered by many to be the “Academic Heisman,” and a member of the National Scholar-Athlete Class.

Ellis is the third Razorback to be added to New England’s roster this spring. The organization selected defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. in the fourth round of the NFL Draft and signed wide receiver Cody Hollister as an undrafted free agent.

Ellis’ Quick Hits
• Led the team in tackles nine times during his career.
• Recorded double-digit tackles seven times.
• Tallied at least five tackles 32 times.
• Racked up 26 tackles, including 4.0 for loss over the first three games of the 2016 season.
• Made at least one-half tackle for loss in each of the last four 2016 regular-season games.
• Took his third career interception 47 yards for a touchdown at No. 15 TCU on Sept. 10, 2016.
• Logged a career-high 15 tackles twice (at No. 8 Alabama on Oct. 10, 2015; Mississippi State on Nov. 21, 2015).