New England Patriots rookie Chase Winovich is known for a couple of things, his long blonde hair and getting after opposing quarterbacks. According to Pro Football Focus, Winovich had 109 quarterback pressures the last two years with the Michigan Wolverines which was tied for the fourth most of edge rushes in the 2019 draft class.
Over the past two seasons at Michigan, new Patriots edge defender Chase Winovich accumulated a ridiculous 109 total QB pressures pic.twitter.com/u6yKXCucSt
— PFF (@PFF) May 21, 2019
Winovich might not look like a prototypical defensive end that would wreak havoc for opposing offensive lines, but his high motor allows him to get the job done. Winovich's best year at Michigan was in 2017 when he finished with 73 tackles with 19 of them being for a loss. He also sacked opposing quarterbacks 8.5 times.
University of Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown was most impressed with how relentless Winovich was during his time in Ann Arbor.
“Here’s the thing, from the day I started coaching him it was evident that he’s relentless. He plays the game the right way. Runs to the football like no other guy we had,” Brown recalls via the Patriots team website. “Excellent pass rusher. He wasn’t an overnight success.”
During 2017 it was mostly his motor that got him success, but in 2018 he learned the right way to play the game and started to become a tactician.
“We were giving him time at defensive end to spell Taco, so in ‘17 was kind of his coming out party. The numbers were exciting. He really had an excellent year. It’s all triggered off his motor. The guy plays the game the right way. Last year he became a tactician. Uses his hands. Last year was his biggest improvements in the run game.”
The Patriots hope is that he can build off his big year's couple of years and he can be another third-round steal for the team.
Follow Us
Subscribe