It didn’t take long for the Patriots’ rookie offensive liner, Michael Onwenu, to become a cult hero in New England.
What “Big Mike” has completed in three weeks is impressive and somehow unprecedented.
Onwenu, who is 6 feet 3 inches tall, played exclusively as a guard, basically on the right side, at the University of Michigan. The Patriots moved him to education camp, and the 2020 sixth-round recruit began his NFL career as a right-back. assume and tight jumbo.
When Middle David Andrews reached the disabled reserve list with a damaged hand, left guard Joe Thuney moved in the middle and Onwenu changed position and sideways to upgrade to left guard. Lead all Patriot rookies for 3 weeks with 136 shots in total.
“Going back to the virtual off-season and those meetings, I think he did a very clever task to get our formula back and be informed. Patriots co-offensive line coach Cole Popovich said Tuesday. “It can be said that he took the time to be informed, so conceptually he understood quite well what was happening around him. Not just a post, and once we got here as shown in the drilling task, you just see a few things and wonder if this guy can do that or not?Give them one-on-one reps, then start having team reps and the type of construction from there. If you need to report something, it’s probably the paint ethic you have. This is probably the number 1 we saw from the beginning. “
PFF ranked Onwenu as the Patriots’ best-rated offensive player in Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders. He allowed a boost in victory and is ranked at the time in the PFF in 3 games.
“Mike showed a lot of versatility,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said Monday. “He played as the right goalkeeper in Michigan, and that’s pretty much the only position he plays in. Here he worked any of the guards and worked on the right shot on, and the right shot was a new position for him. Left escort, even if the escort is the escort, the footwork is another where he played for Joe. It’s a bit like betting with your left hand when you’ve been playing with your right – delivered all your life.
“I think he did a very clever task. He’s a smart kid, he was given a lot of physical play power, he’s a smart athlete, he was given intelligent intelligence and an intelligent football consciousness and he did a smart task. “for us, bet the right way and deal with smart situations. He’s learned a lot and still has a long way to go, but he’s done a lot of smart things. “
When asked, Popovich failed with another player who played exclusively as a guard at the school and then switched to an offensive position in the NFL. The Indianapolis Colts faced Braden Smith with most of the defenders played at Auburn, but reveled on the left The Patriots’ former offensive lineman, Damien Woody, was intermediate at Boston College, then played as an intermediary, escort and assumed in the NFL.
So what did onwenu’s Patriots see to get him out to attack?
“I think with all the young boys, when they’re in camp and we combine the boys and we look to compare the boys through exercises and one by one and you start to see anything and you say, ‘Maybe this guy can just do it’ and give him a chance,” Popovich said. “And he did well, so he got smart tackles. “
It will be attractive to see how patriots adjust when Andrews returns from the IR if Onwenu continues to play at the highest level. New England will bring Thuney back to the left guard. Onwenu and Jermaine Eluemunor can continue to spin on the right shot unless one of those players declares himself the most productive option. That’s unlikely, but the Patriots can also take Thuney to the right and remain Onwenu as their left guard.
New England has not drawn a ton of its elegance in the 2020 draft so far. Kyle Dugger of Security (107 shots), the team’s first choice, has played a defensive role as a hybrid security/supporter. Linebacker Josh Uche and Closed Wing Dalton Keene Kicker Justin Rohrwasser is part of the practice squad, closed wing Devin Asiasi (49 shots), supporters Anfernee Jennings (11 shots) and Cassh Maluia (19 shots) and offensive lineman Justin Herron (21 shots) Center Dustin Woodard, a seventh-round pick, dropped out of the off-season. Ball carrier JJTaylor, an uns recruited rookie, played 37 shots and has 16 runs for 70 yards, a 4-yard catch, an 11-yard catcher. the computer backs up and the 3 goes back to 69 yards.
Onwenu has been the Patriots’ most productive rookie yet, but it turns out New England is lucky to get rid of Michigan players in the sixth round.