The New England Patriots have signed top draft pick Kyle Dugger, per ESPN's Field Yates.
The Pats have now signed each of their incoming rookies, becoming the first team in the NFL to reach an agreement with all their draft picks.
The Patriots have signed S Kyle Dugger, their top overall pick in the 2020 draft, per source.
New England becomes the first team to sign their entire draft class to their rookie deals.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 20, 2020
It should not come as a surprise the Patriots beat everyone to the punch.
New England already had severely limited cap space entering the 2020 offseason, relying on their draft capital to fill a number of holes and departing players.
Dugger was a typical Bill Belichick pick. Many casual fans might not have known the Lenoir-Rhyne safety, who impressed with his size and tremendous physical attributes.
The Patriots will be counting on Dugger to make plays all over the field and possible in the nickel. They re-signed Devin McCourty and reached an extension with Patrick Chung, giving Belichick some more flexibility in how he wants to use Dugger in his scheme.
New England will also hope Michigan edge-rusher Josh Uche can come in and contribute from the jump. The Pats lost both Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins in free agency, and Uche — who had 7.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for a loss with the Wolverines last season — will be counted on to get to the quarterback and stop the run.
Much of the focus surrounding the Patriots will be on the quarterback battle. However, it is worth keeping tabs on how Belichick utilizes his rookies as New England hopes to maintain the success it had last year, when the Pats ranked first in DVOA.
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