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And now there were two Wolverines again in New England
With all the talk about how Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons was maybe the most versatile player in the 2020 NFL Draft, there was another player who was getting overlooked.
But no longer.
Michigan football SAM linebacker Josh Uche wasn’t an every down player in Ann Arbor, but that had more to do with scheme than it did his ability. A former three-star recruit out of Miami (OH) Columbus in the 2016 recruiting cycle, it took a minute, but Uche started showing his penchant for playmaking ability in 2018 when he led the Wolverines in sacks — despite both Chase Winovich and Rashan Gary being on the roster. With 8.5 sacks in 2019, his redshirt junior year, he led the team once again, despite nominally being a linebacker.
But, he also showed off several other key attributes as well.
For instance, at Penn State in 2019, Uche showed off his speed and coverage ability, running downfield to knock a pass away from speedy Nittany Lions wideout KJ Hamler. More than just a pass rusher, Uche has speed and strong instincts.
It’s something that the New England Patriots clearly saw, as it picked him with the No. 60in the 2020 NFL Draft. He rejoins former teammate Chase Winovich in Foxborough.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein broke down Uche’s game further:
Overview
Balancing Uche’s skill set and athletic potential against his inexperience and lack of instincts makes him a challenging evaluation. He’s unlikely to find sustained success as a situational rusher, but it should be in play for a team to turn loose his rush instincts and agility inside the pocket as a blitzer. He plays with closing burst, can tackle and is smoother in coverage than expected, but the difference in becoming a pro linebacker instead of a short-term, hybrid athlete will depend largely upon improving his second-level instincts and finding an eclectic defensive mind to unlock his potential.
Strengths
- Compact build with good strength and speed
- Feet are sudden and lively on second level
- Athleticism and range for the position
- Impressive burst to close as tackler
- Schooled-up with his hands at point of attack
- Diversified rush attack this past season
- Good edge speed with ability to dip and bend at the top
- Added punch-and-go to gain separation and corner
- Factored as B-gap blitzer against Wisconsin
- Can peel and cover when lined up as rusher
- Good pop and redirect on tight ends into routes
Weaknesses
- In a holding pattern between two positions as a pro prospect
- Lacks length and acumen to become full-time situational rusher
- Can be engulfed by size as edge rusher
- Feasted on lambs with much of his sack production
- Signs of confusion on second-level alignments
- Hasn’t developed a linebacker’s instincts yet
- Needs to learn to read keys and diagnose blocking scheme
- Could struggle in cover-man early on
- Stress fracture in foot and torn meniscus in his medical background
While Uche isn’t necessarily just a pass rusher, it is his most dominant trait.
Fellow NFL Draft pick, Alabama’s Jedrick Wills told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine last month that Uche was the most difficult player he had to face coming off the edge.
After Wills shared about how the SEC and its defensive ends prepared him for the NFL, he was asked at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis who the best pass rusher he faced in-conference was.
It turns out, according to Wills, the best pass rusher he faced was in the Big Ten and wears and winged helmet.
“Actually, it wasn’t in the SEC,” Wills said. “It was the last game of the year against Michigan. It was Josh Uche. He was a really good pass rusher. Has some counter moves, some speed to him. So it was a good matchup that I went against.”
Bill Belichick got a versatile player in Uche. Now he just has to decide how to get him on the field early and often.