The New England Patriots’ linebacker group had its fair share of difficulty to deal with in 2024. As a consequence, it is going to look quite a bit different in 2025 from the top all the way to the bottom of the depth chart. Finding himself closer to that second area is undrafted rookie Cam Riley.
Hard facts
Name: Cam Riley
Position:
Off-ball linebackerJersey number: 42
Opening day age: 23 (3/29/2002)
Measurements: 6’3 1/2”, 228 lbs, 79 3/4” wingspan, 33 3/8” arm length, 9” hand size, 4.64s 40-yard dash, 7.18s
3-cone drill, 4.45s short shuttle, 32” vertical jump, 10’1” broad jump, 19 bench press reps, 7.41 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: New England Patriots (2025-) | College: Auburn (2020-23), Florida State (2024)
A four-star linebacker recruit out of Hillcrest High School in Evergreen, AL, Riley received more than a dozen scholarship offers from Power 5 schools. He eventually opted to remain in his home state and picked Auburn — two hours north-east of his hometown — over the likes of LSU, Oklahoma and Tennessee, among others.
Riley spent four seasons with the Tigers, one of them as a starter. In total, he appeared in 46 games with 10 starts before deciding to enter the transfer portal in 2024. He subsequently took his talents to Florida State, where he finished his college career by adding 12 more games and one start to his career totals.
All in all, Riley registered a combined 168 tackles, including 12 for loss, as well as 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble between his stints at Auburn and Florida State. He went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft, joining the Patriots as a free agent.
Scouting report
Strengths: Checking in at almost 6-foot-4 with long arms, Riley offers good length at the off-ball linebacker position. He also has above-average straight-line speed and burst out of his stance. His build and athleticism are complemented by a solid feel for run lanes, both in terms of his gap vision and reactionary skills. He also has shown urgency in the passing game, as well as a baseline understanding of using length and leverage to his advantage to both break up passes and put pressure on opposing blockers. He was a generally sound tackler in college as well, despite a bit of a drop-off in 2024.
Weaknesses: Riley is more of a linear athlete than somebody capable of performing sharp cuts or following quicker players in coverage. His feel for zone coverage also needs development. As a downhill attacker, his lack of overall bulk and play strength can lead to him getting swallowed up at the point of attack or washed out of the picture entirely. Meanwhile, his recovery speed in situations like these — mainly due to his relative lack of agility — is adequate at best despite a general high motor.
2024 review
Stats: 12 games (1 start) | 327 defensive snaps, 98 special teams snaps | 47 tackles, 6 missed tackles (11.3%), 4.0 TFLs, 1 forced fumble | 17 targets, 14 catches surrendered (82.4%), 129 yards, 1 TD, 1 PBU | 3 quarterback pressures (1 sack, 1 hit, 1 hurry) | 1 special teams tackle, 1 missed tackles (50.0%)
Season recap: Riley’s career at Auburn was a rollercoaster ride in terms of starting opportunities. After seeing both his starts and defensive snaps drop from 2022 to 2023, he therefore decided that a fresh start was in order: he entered the transfer portal in January 20254, first committing to N.C. State but later enrolling at Florida State.
In his lone season with the Seminoles, Riley only started one game on the defensive side of the ball — Week 13 versus Charleston Southern — but did see a slight uptick in snaps. He also managed to force his first career fumble in Week 2 contest versus Boston College, at game that also saw him register a season-best 10 tackles.
In addition, Riley notched a sack against then-15th-ranked Clemson. He furthermore was a regular on three special teams units (kickoff coverage, punt return, field goal/extra point block), finishing with one tackle in the game’s third phase.
While there were some positive moments throughout his final campaign in college, Riley’s one-year stint at FSU was mostly a continuation of his final season at Auburn. He failed to carve out a consistent role on defense or make a considerable number of high-impact plays, while also taking a step back in certain areas. HIs missed tackle rate went up, for example, while his quarterback pressures went down.
His usage and uneven play at times resulted in Riley taking little momentum into the pre-draft process.
2025 preview
Position: Multiple/Weak-side linebacker | Ability: Camp body/Practice squad candidate | Contract: Signed through 2027
What will be his role? The Patriots’ linebacker group behind top option Robert Spillane remains somewhat unsettled, with Riley set to compete for a backup spot behind the free agency pickup. Offering the ability to line up both on and off the ball, he projects as an outside option first and foremost whose size suggests a weak-side role. In addition, he should factor into the special teams mix as well.
What is his growth potential? Riley has some physical attributes to build around that cannot be taught, but he needs both additional seasoning as well as some time in an NFL strength program to bulk up and better his chances against pro-level competition. If he can do those things, he very well could develop into a rotational move linebacker and core special teamer further down the line.
Does he have positional versatility? Even though roughly three fourths of his college snaps saw him in an off-ball alignment, Riley’s length and linear speed might allow him to also become a factor on the edge. He also, as mentioned above, brings some special teams experience to the table: between his stints at Auburn and FSU, he saw time on five kicking game units and notched 11 coverage tackles.
What is his salary cap situation? Riley signed a three-year UDFA deal with the Patriots in May that is carrying a salary cap hit of $843,333. That number consists of a standard base salary of $840,000 as well as a $3,333 signing bonus proration. With the NFL’s Top 51 rule in place, only that proration is currently counted versus New England’s cap. The deal also features a $50,000 salary guarantee that is not relevant for cap purposes at the moment.
How safe is his roster spot? He may have some NFL-ready tools, but Riley will need to prove himself a quick learner to realistically compete for a roster spot this summer. Every one of the six players ahead of him on the depth chart at the moment, after all, comes with significantly more experience; he is the only rookie in the room and in fact the only LB with fewer than three years in the NFL under his belt. As a result, he currently seems headed for the practice squad rather than the 53-man team.
Summary: Riley failed to live up to his four-star billing during his college career, and as a consequence had to enter the NFL as an undrafted free agent. While this naturally creates something of an unclear outlook, there are some arguments for him being kept around as a developmental backup on both defense and special teams.
What do you think about Cam Riley heading into the 2025 season? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
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