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New England Patriots 2020 NFL Draft grades: Josh Uche has large shoes to fill

By Sam Minton

CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 12: Josh Uche #6 of the Michigan Wolverines is seen during the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 12: Josh Uche #6 of the Michigan Wolverines is seen during the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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The New England Patriots drafted Josh Uche in the 2nd round and the linebacker will have some big shoes to fill in 2020.

The New England Patriots still have one of the best defenses in the NFL. That doesn’t mean there are some holes to be filled.

New England lost Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, and Elandon Roberts this offseason. They need an edge rusher who can help out on the run. Dont’a Hightower is going to be the lead man in 2020.

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You could sense that this was an important need for the Patriots. They moved up to the 60th overall pick and grabbed linebacker Josh Uche out of Michigan.

Uche was a beast in his senior season at Michigan. He had over 10 tackles for loss and racked up 7.5 sacks. We can also see that Uche is pretty consistent as he tallied 7 sacks in his junior season.

As you can see Uche is a great pass rusher. As former Patriots scout Jim Nagy said the Michigan linebacker finds a way to get through cracks.

But Uche isn’t just a rusher. He showed at the Senior Bowl that he is capable in coverage. Instead of forcing a guy like Dont’a Hightower to drop back in coverage, they can use Uche. This will also allow for Hightower to focus on stopping the running game or attacking the quarterback.

The Patriots don’t just move up in the draft for anyone. I would expect Uche to get some playing time rather quickly. It will be tough with offseason activities in limbo, but Uche’s athleticism should be able to get him by.

Uche will have some familiar faces when he gets to New England. Chase Winovich and Uche played together at Michigan so they will reunite in the Patriots locker room. Uche and Winovich could become a dangerous duo that could upset a lot of QB’s around the NFL.

. LB. Michigan. JOSH UCHE. B+

I really like this pick by the Patriots. Uche has the potential to become a major part of the defense.

The Patriots need to have a strong pass rush if they want to be successful. They have had guys like Trey Flowers and Michael Bennett in the past but now guys like Winovich, Lawrence Guy, and Deatrich Wise Jr. will need to step up.

But so will Uche. He will have to perform immediately. We very well could see Uche win a starting job in 2020.

Next. Kyle Dugger will be a Bill Belichick prize. dark

It will be interesting to see how Uche’s career ends up. He might be the next great linebacker to enjoy success with the New England Patriots.

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