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Color us completely unsurprised.
The New England Patriots have long loved their former Michigan players, as exemplified by former Pats QB Tom Brady, CB Ty Law and more recently, current DE Chase Winovich all playing in Foxborough. This past NFL draft, New England picked up two Wolverines in SAM linebacker Josh Uche and right guard Michael Onwenu.
With NFL training camps set to open soon, our sister site, PatriotsWire, took a look at four rookies who could be surprise players as the team prepares for the 2020 season, and Uche headlines the list as one who could make an early impact.
Josh Uche is definitely a rookie that could surprise at training camp. The former Michigan product is coming off a successful career there and it could translate to the professional ranks.
In four seasons with the Wolverines, he recorded 52 total tackles. The best season of his career in the Maize and Blue occurred in 2019. He recorded 35 total tackles, 23 of them solo. In addition, he also tallied 8.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.
As the Patriots look to go younger at the linebacker position, Uche could surprise at training camp. He is aggressive and gets off his blocks quickly. New England lost several pieces at linebacker in free agency this offseason — Jamie Collins, Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts. With his nose for the football and aggressive play style, he could find himself filling one of the voids left by the departures.
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As a pass rusher who can put his hand in the dirt on the defensive line, Uche is a prototypical New England player, one who can be incredibly versatile in head coach Bill Belichick’s defense.
Don’t just listen to us — the Patriots own reporters believe the hype as well.
The Patriots lost 17.5 sacks from their 2019 defense via free agency and in a league where getting pressure on the quarterback is critical, the team had a big need heading into the draft.
That’s why the selection of Josh Uche in the second round made a lot of sense. Uche came with some questions, but generating pass rush was not one of them. While he seems poised to be an instant contributor on passing downs and special teams, his non-stop drive could finally elevate him to the every-down player he wants to be.
With an impressive get-off, underrated strength and a unique ability to bend the edge around offensive tackles, Uche racked up 19.5 tackles-for-loss and 16.5 sacks in four years at Michigan, despite being a specialized quarterback hunter on the Wolverine defense with most of his production coming in his final two seasons.
Like Winovich before him — who’s a budding star in Massachusetts — we anticipate it won’t be long before Uche comes in and makes a name for himself at the professional level, all with the winningest program in recent memory in the NFL.