No one keeps the rest of the NFL guessing quite like Bill Belichick.
The Patriots’ search for a Tom Brady replacement turned up … three future defensive starters and two tight ends? Hmm.
After trading out of the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Belichick used two second-round picks Friday night on safety Kyle Dugger (No. 37) of Lenoir-Rhyne University and outside linebacker Josh Uche (No. 60) of Michigan. He used three third-round picks on outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings (No. 87) of Alabama and tight ends Devin Asiasi (No. 91) of UCLA and Daltone Keene (No. 101) of Virginia Tech.
Well, at least Asiasi and Keene address the enormous hole left behind by Rob Gronkowski, who unretired earlier this week and was traded to the Buccaneers at his request to reunite with Brady.
“My reaction is hard to explain,” Dugger said. “But I’d say probably the closest thing would definitely be Christmas. My first Christmas.”
Entering the night with five second- and third-round picks, the Patriots traded up twice, with the Ravens and Raiders.
Finding a challenger for second-year pro Jarrett Stidham as the long-term replacement for Brady wasn’t in the cards. The Patriots passed once on Jalen Hurts before he was taken by the Eagles and five times on sliding quarterbacks Jacob Eason and Jake Fromm.
In a weak tight end class, only Notre Dame’s Cole Kmet was off the board in the first 59 picks. The Patriots were patient and doubled down, like they once did with Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.
Belichick got his small-school fix with Dugger, who was named the 2019 NCAA Division II defensive player of the year despite playing in just seven games because of injury. Lenoir-Rhyne’s first draft pick since 2000 burst onto the scene at the Senior Bowl and continued to shine at the NFL combine, where the chip on his shoulder from high school under-recruitment stood out.
“It’s definitely grown into a mountain on my shoulders,” Dugger said. “It’s definitely something that’s going to be permanent.”
Starting safeties Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung both are 32 years old and under contract through the 2021 season, allowing Dugger to be groomed to take over, especially for Chung as a box safety with some linebacker traits. Trading Duron Harmon to the Lions opened up a spot in the Patriots’ preferred three-safety rotation.
After six years in college, the 24-year-old Dugger will be an older rookie. He also had six career punt returns for touchdowns. Special teams are dear to Belichick’s heart.
