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| TOP: New Patriots LB Anfernee Jennings pressures new Cincinatti Bengals QB Joe Burrow during their time in college. BOTTOM: New Patriots LB Josh Uche rushes the Alabama OLine during his time at Michigan |
Written by Johnny Maffei
Bill Belichick and Nick Caserio went to familiar sources for their 2nd & 3rd picks in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Pats gave the Ravens picks 71 and 98 in exchange for pick 60 & 129.
They decided on Chase Winovich's former Michigan teammate LB Josh Uche at 60.
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) April 25, 2020With Kyle Van Noy joining Brian Flores in Miami, it is no shock that NE chose a linebacker. Van Noy was such a great leader and crucial factor in Patricia and Flores' championship defenses.
The Pats chose Alabama LB Anfernee Jennings with their 87th pick.
There's no doubt these two were well coached in Ann Arbor and Tuscaloosa. Belichick worked with Saban when he was HC of the Browns and has favored many 'Bama alums in recent years, and Harbaugh took San Francisco to a Super Bowl before taking the keys to his alma mater in the Big 10.Another @AlabamaFTBL player in Foxboro.#Patriots select LB @anferneejenning with the 87th overall pick. #PatsDraft pic.twitter.com/9TCbtAJyKC— New England Patriots (@Patriots) April 25, 2020
Uche is ready to take names, he feels he could've gone in the 1st round, and seems pumped up to play for the Pats.
The 6'2" 250lb Wolverine had 7.5 sacks and 10.5 TFL last year. When the Pats start up camp it will be smart to pick Dont'a Hightower's brain and shoot Winovich a text beforehand to get some tips on what Belichick looks for in a rookie.Josh Uche: "I would say it's a good fit for me because I'm a hard-ass worker and the Patriots work their asses off."— Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis) April 25, 2020
As for Jennings, his Crimson Tide leading 12.5 TFL and 8 sacks earned him the All-SEC 1st team nod. He is about the same size as Uche and was known to set the edge against the SEC's best.
Both of these guys have experience handling TE's. Jennings is known for his pass rushing, but is versatile, which is the name of the game in New England. Whether it's matching up against the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs, the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers, or even the Bucs in '21 if they still have Cameron Brate and Rob Gronkowski, dominant tight ends become unstoppable against defenses that aren't built to deal with them.
Uche and Jennings have a lot on their plate with Van Noy now their rival, but they should certainly be up to the task with their impressive resumes.
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