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The New England Patriots haven’t had a truly elite pass-rusher on their roster in quite some time. Yes, defensive end Trey Flowers was a gifted all-around player on the edge. But Michigan outside linebacker Josh Uche has the potential to be a special player in disrupting opposing quarterbacks.
That’s why we think Bill Belichick traded up to take Uche in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft at 60th overall. Even though he played just half the snaps at Michigan in his senior season, he finished with 33 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss. He’s a versatile linebacker. He can do a lot of things. But again, it all comes back to the rush, with Uche.
“It’s very unique,” Uche told Draft Wire on March 30. “A lot of guys go into their rushes with a set move. A lot of guys are gonna work that move regardless of how the offensive tackle takes his set. I attack more and I react more. I’m very reactive. Whatever the tackle gives me, I react to it. At times, I dictate what I’m gonna do as well. It’s a very unique arsenal. Pass rushing is an art form to me. There’s a lot that goes into it. I have the power rush, I have speed, I have the stutter, I have some counters. I have a lot of moves in my arsenal.”
There’s that. And then there’s his mentality and work ethic, which he believes makes him a “perfect fit.”
“I would say it’s a good fit for me, because I’m a hard-ass worker and the Patriots work their asses off,” he said on a conference call on Friday.
Uche will likely start his career as a third-down player, but he has the physical tools to work on setting the edge in the running game, which is how he’ll earn a role on every down. Surely, he has a window to earn a starting job early on. His fellow second-rounder Kyle Dugger is buried under a deep safety group. The outside linebacker depth chart, however, is depleted with Jamie Collins and Kyle Van Noy leaving this offseason. That’s exactly the mold of linebacker Uche can become.
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