New England Patriots offensive lineman Michael Onwenu has surprised in just about every way in his rookie season. His emergence as a starter at left guard, after entering the NFL as a sixth-round pick, was unexpected. The fact that he has played at left guard and right tackle, two positions he essentially never played in college, is also a stunner.
Yet he’s excelling.
In training camp, the Patriots began using him at right tackle. That’s where he began the regular season, too, in a platoon with starter Jermain Eluemunor. But when David Andrews went on injured reserve, the Patriots moved left guard Joe Thuney to center — and then they moved Onwenu to left guard.
“The first few days (playing right tackle in training camp) was kind of a surprise to me, too,” he told reporters on Wednesday during a video conference call.
He said his trick to transitioning from right guard to right tackle was fairly simple. In college, he had always known the responsibilities of the right tackle, because the guy was, of course, standing next to him. Onwenu just had to execute those duties that he’d watched from one spot over in the offensive line. Even so, it’s a transition few guards can make. Typically, the transition goes the other way, with struggling tackles moving to guard (and struggling guards moving to center). Onwenu’s move toward the edge is fairly remarkable, especially for a player who entered the NFL with such little fanfare and especially with this offseason getting abbreviated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I didn’t hear anything about that pre-draft. In my head I thought guard or center, that’s what my thought process was. But anything that comes up that I’m able to do or help with I’m open to, I’m here for the team,” he said.
His transition from right guard to left guard (with a brief stop right tackle) has so far been a natural one. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the top rookie in the NFL after three weeks, with his starting performance in Week 3 at guard and his platoon role at tackle in Weeks 1 and 2. When players move from one side of the offensive line to another, they often suggest it’s like trying to write with their non-dominant hand. The effectiveness isn’t always there. Though it’s early in the process, that hasn’t been the case for Onwenu.
“I played left guard in college for a game or so, so it wasn’t much different,” Onwenu said. “At the end of the day it’s football, you just have to think of some stuff the opposite way.”
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