The New England Patriots have selected Lenoir–Rhyne safety Kyle Dugger with the 37th overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. He’s the first division II prospects off the draft board.
New England acquired the selection in trade with the Los Angeles Chargers, who gave up Nos. 37 and 71 for the 23rd overall pick where L.A. took Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray.
Dugger joins the Patriots’ depth chart, which includes Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung, Adrian Phillips, Terrence Brooks and Obi Melifonwu. It seemed like a matter of time that Bill Belichick, a huge fan of defensive backs, filled out the back end of the safety position with a young talent, particularly with McCourty and Chung approaching 33 years old.
Dugger stands at 6-foot-1 and 217 pounds with an impressive vertical leap of 42 inches. He also ran a 40-yard dash in 4.49 seconds and had a wildly impressive broad jump of 134 inches. Not only is he an elite athlete, but he’s studyied to be an engineer and architect.
He’s a versatile safety, who will contribute on specials teams immediately while he waits for snaps behind McCourty, Chung, Phillips and Brooks. Not only will he likely serve in coverage, but he can also contribute as a returner. He has even considered playing linebacker in the NFL.
“I definitely think linebacker is a possibility for me. It really depends on how teams feel about me. I definitely think safety is my best fit personally, but teams could see it differently. I love playing safety though,” he told Draft Wire before this year’s draft.
