With his first pick as New England Patriots coach in the post-Tom Brady era, Bill Belichick had his dog, Nike, nearby and delivered a mild surprise by selecting small-school safety Kyle Dugger of Division II Lenoir-Rhyne University early in the second round (No. 37) of the 2020 NFL draft on Friday.
Dugger, whose draft stock rose after he participated in the Senior Bowl and took part in the NFL combine, easily becomes the highest drafted player in the history of Lenoir-Rhyne (located in Hickory, North Carolina).
"It's a small campus, but the support is very caring. Just being from there and being able to represent them in this situation is huge," Dugger said Friday. "They gave me the opportunity to play football, to compete playing the game I love. It's going to be a huge honor to give them recognition."
New England traded up three times on Day 2, moving up 11 picks to No. 60 in a deal with the Baltimore Ravens to take Michigan linebacker Josh Uche, moving up nine picks to No. 91 in a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders to get UCLA tight end Devin Asiasi and moving up 24 picks to No. 101 in a deal with the New York Jets to select Virginia Tech tight end Dalton Keene.
The Pats also got the 129th pick from the Ravens, who received the Nos. 71 and 98 picks. The Pats sent the Nos. 100, 139 and 172 picks to the Raiders, who also got the No. 159 pick in the deal, and the Pats dealt the Nos. 125 and 129 picks, as well as a 2021 sixth-round pick, to the Jets.
New England took Alabama linebacker Anfernee Jennings at No. 87.
Dugger, 24, is the first draft pick from Lenoir-Rhyne since defensive end John Milem in 2000 (fifth round, San Francisco 49ers) and just the ninth player drafted from the school. He said that as a Division II player, he has a "mountain on my shoulders" that he will carry throughout his career.
He earned the Cliff Harris Award in 2019, given to the best Division II defensive player.
Although Dugger comes from a small school, he was hardly an unknown on the scouting trail. Some analysts projected him to go in the second round. When he earned an invitation to the Senior Bowl, hand-delivered by executive director Jim Nagy in November, the moment went viral on social media. Dugger was the only Division II player in the game.
At just shy of 6-foot-1 and 217 pounds, Dugger projects as a safety who can fill linebacker-type duties in certain packages. That's a similar role to that of veteran starter Patrick Chung, who enters his 12th NFL season in 2020. Dugger also projects as a core contributor on special teams, which Belichick always values.
The Patriots are deep at safety, with Chung and Devin McCourty returning atop the depth chart and having agreed to a free-agent deal with former Los Angeles Charger Adrian Phillips in the offseason. The Patriots also have Terrence Brooks returning, with Cody Davis, Obi Melifonwu, Malik Gant and Adarius Pickett filling out the roster.
Uche will likely be expected to fill the void left by recently departed free-agent linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins.
He is the highest drafted Wolverines player by New England since Ty Law went 23rd overall in 1995. This marks the second straight year that the Pats have drafted a Michigan linebacker; they took Chase Winovich in the third round last year.
Asiasi is the highest drafted Patriots tight end since Rob Gronkowski in 2010. The Pats moved up to select Asiasi by trading away the fourth-round pick they got from Tampa Bay in the Gronkowski deal.
Patriots tight ends ranked last in receptions (37) last season and were tied with the Bears' tight ends for fewest receiving touchdowns (two).
Jennings is the 10th player Belichick has drafted who played under Alabama coach Nick Saban in college. That sets the record for players selected by a pro/college coach combo in the common draft era, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.