New England Patriots: 5 great moves during the 2020 offseason
4. Drafting Josh Uche from Michigan
I panned the Patriots first three draft picks this year. But I also made it clear that it wasn’t necessarily the players, it was the strategy. They needed offensive skill help early and often, and they went defense. I thought it was a bad choice.
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But drafting edge Josh Uche from Michigan may very well be an excellent one. Uche is again lacking size for his position. He’s only a shade over 6’1 and about 245 pounds. Though Uche was an intermittent starter for the Wolverines, he still made his mark as a pass-rusher.
I thought he was the second-best defensive player in the Senior Bowl. He was a nightmare for anyone on the South squad quarterbacking that day. Though the prototypical edge these days is about 6’4″ and 255 pounds or so, Uche makes up for size with speed.
He blasts around tackles with speed and moves. You can never have too many good pass rushers and New England needs one to complement John Simon and fellow former Michigan standout Chase Winovich.
I can see a passing down edge tandem of the two former Wolverine stars easily. Uche from the strong side and Winovich from the weak. I like the prospects. The 2020 pass rush will be better for it. Uche can play a third-down role immediately.