As the fifth selection of the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft at No. 37 overall, the New England Patriots selected safety Kyle Dugger from Division-II school Lenoir-Rhyne. Even with having Patrick Chung and Devin McCourty as the team’s starting safeties, adding Dugger is a huge get for the Patriots’ defense, especially with how often teams like to run three-safety sets or move a safety down into the box to play the run.
Even though Dugger is coming from a small school, his play will fit in very well to the style of NFL defensive schemes and play that the league is currently employing. Just a bit over six feet tall, Dugger is just another piece in an already-stout secondary that also includes Stephon Gilmore and Jason McCourty.
50 Tackles
Playing down by the line of scrimmage and in the box, Dugger’s role will be very fluid based on the situation. If it is an early-down or the offense rolls out ‘21’ or ‘22’ personnel, Dugger’s role will be to fill the role of another linebacker in the box, knifing through the offensive line blocks and getting into the backfield to make the tackle.
But, if in more of a passing down, Dugger’s role shifts to potentially being the middle linebacker that plays sideline to sideline, helping cover running backs in the flat or tight ends and wide receivers that are streaking across the field for crossing routes.
2 Touchdowns
As was a prevalent theme of the Patriots' defense in 2019, their ability to shut down their opponents, force turnovers, and score touchdowns helped keep them in games that their offense was struggling to put up points. And for Dugger, if he is flying around the field making plays, the likelihood of him making plays that result in defensive scores dramatically increases.
More likely scoring on scoop and scores off of forced fumbles due to having his nose in everything, Dugger could become the guy in the middle of the Pats’ defense for many years to come.
Defensive Captain In Year One
A decently-difficult aspect to achieve in any rookie’s first season, Dugger could be the guy that cements his role in the middle of the defensive starting unit coming out of training camp, to the point where he earns the confidence of head coach Bill Belichick right out of the gate.
Wearing the mic in his head is a very possible aspect for the DII rookie, but for Belichick and his coaching staff, trust is a huge aspect for any player, and he will need to earn it immediately and try to become the guy for them as one of their final defensive pieces to the puzzle.
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