It was a bit of an unorthodox pick, but the New England Patriots selected Kyle Dugger with their first pick of the draft. Taken 37th overall, Dugger brings a combination of solid tackling and ball hawking skills to the secondary. A safety, Dugger certainly fills an area of need for New England.
When you take a look at the ages of Patrick Chung and Devon McCourty, the Patriots needed depth at the position. A stout defensive player for Lenior-Rhyne, Dugger should be able to bring a plethora of skills to the Patriots defense. At the very least, he should usher in a new era at the safety position.
Here are four things you need to know about the Patriots first draft pick of 2020.
Duggar had a monster senior year
Dugger had a monster senior year in 2020. Appearing in only seven games, he was the recipient of the Cliff Harris award, which is given to the best defensive player in Division II.
He recorded 31 tackles, two interceptions, and six pass deflections. He also managed to make an impact on special teams. He was named the National Special Teams Player of the Week after returning two punts for touchdowns against UVA-Wise. He became the only player in program history to have two games with two punt returns for touchdowns.
He was a pretty solid player throughout his college career, but his senior year really vaulted him towards success. Now, he will enter a New England defense that needs help at the safety position. A youth infusion is much-needed.
Duggar made an impact immediately
Success was evident for him from the get-go as he made a tremendous impact as a freshman. He recorded 43 tackles and six passes defensed. He also managed to tally four interceptions and two fumble recoveries which he returned for 45 yards.
As a result, he was named the South Atlantic Conference Defensive Freshman of the Year. After redshirting his freshman year of 2014, he was able to bounce back in a big way. This was the year that he began to establish himself as a defensive force. His versatility and playmaking ability was on full display for college football to see.
His versatility should be able to translate well to a New England defense that asks a lot from its players. I’ll be interested to see how he fits into the defensive scheme, and how New England uses that versatility.
Duggar was a two-sport athlete in high school
Dugger also played basketball. As he did in football, he was able to show his athleticism.
He managed to put together a strong high school basketball career. He was given First-Team All-County and garnered All-County honorable mention honors in basketball. It seemed as though his athleticism translated well to both sports.
In today’s game of football, you need athletic defensive players. Gone are the days of safeties who are just hard-hitters. They need to be athletic and fast. Duggar certainly fits the mold, and in a Patriots defense that relies on everybody contributing, he should be able to find himself fitting in nicely with this defense.
Duggar is a ballhawk
According to his NFL.com scouting report, Dugger has great pursuit of the football defensively. This is important to know, because of the players the Patriots have on the defensive side of the football.
When you have a player like Stephon Gilmore, who can take away one side of the field, having a player like Dugger who is able to pursue the football is important. If he can track where a play is going effectively, that will give opposing quarterbacks another reason not to throw his way and another side of the field not to throw to.
When you take a look at his statistics, they certainly matchup with that assessment of his play. He had 36 total pass deflections and four years of play, including a career-high 13 deflections in 2018. Hopefully, he can continue his ball-hawking ways in New England.
