If there's one thing that Bill Belichick loves almost as much as winning, it's having strong special teams play. You'd be hard-pressed to find an NFL roster that carries more core special teamers than the New England Patriots. Or one that more consistently uses fifth-round selections to address that facet of the game.
But the Patriots may have added a player who can make a special teams impact in Round 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft. That would be safety Kyle Dugger. The Division II product from Lenoir-Rhyne was the 37th overall pick in the draft and the first selection made by the Patriots in the draft.
While Dugger didn't fill a huge short-term need, he will likely be the successor to either Devin McCourty or Patrick Chung. Provided that he pans out, of course.
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With that said, Belichick will likely use Dugger as a top backup and special teams player in 2020. And it's a role that Dugger should be able to fill well.
In college, Dugger was a prolific punt returner for Lenoir-Rhyne. And in one game, he helped spark a comeback with his return ability.
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As Jeff Howe of The Athletic detailed in a recent story, Lenoir Rhyne once trailed by 14 points in a game against Newberry where they were starting their fourth-string option at quarterback. But Dugger didn't let that story them from winning. He returned two punts for touchdowns to help lead the Bears to a 34-21 victory.
"I'm like, 'Listen, we’ve got to do something on special teams,' " assistant coach David Cole said, per Howe. "Kyle was like, 'I got you, coach. I got you.' He sparked it."
Head coach Drew Cronic added, "He took over the game with those punt returns. It totally flipped the game. It kept our season momentum going, and we didn’t lose until the quarterfinals. It was him. He did that."
That certainly sounds like something Belichick would love to see happen in a Patriots game. And if Dugger can be a dynamic game-changer like that, he should live up to his early-second-round billing.
As a rookie, Dugger should compete for the spot as the main punt returner. Last year, undrafted rookie Gunner Olszewski started the season in that role before he landed on IR. Mohamed Sanu and Julian Edelman can also play the position, but the team would probably prefer to keep those veterans on offense only, if possible.
We'll see if Dugger can challenge for that role. But either way, his potential in that area should excite Patriots fans.
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May 01, 2020 at 03:53AM
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