Michigan Football: Josh Uche finds perfect home in New England
Michigan football’s Josh Uche wound up in New England and playing next to Chase Winovich is an absolutely perfect fit for the Patriots and here’s why.
Former Michigan football standout Josh Uche to the New England Patriots seemed like an absolutely perfect it, so much so that Uche going in round one seemed possible.
Instead, the Patriots traded out of the first round, however, late in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft, Uche was selected by head coach Bill Belichick and there might be not a better scheme/player fit in the draft.
When looking at what Uche can do, the first player that comes to my mind is Jaime Collins or someone like Kyle Van Noy. The Patriots have been brilliant in finding versatile linebackers who have the ability to rush the passer, while also playing in coverage and other roles.
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And Uche is exactly that kind of player. He played the SAM for Michigan football last season and while he was the Wolverines best pass rusher, he showed a lot more versatility.
Belichick is a master at finding ways to utilize players and Uche is the kind of guy that Bill will be able to get creative with, especially on third down. I’d expect to see him line up as down lineman at times on the edge, as a standup outside linebacker and also as an inside linebacker in certain sets.
The other fun thing about Uche going to the Pats is it will reunite him with former Michigan football teammate and fellow pass rusher, Chase Winovich.
Winovich was picked by the Patriots back in the 2019 NFL draft in the third round and he recorded five sacks in his first NFL season. Over the past two seasons, Uche notched 14.5 sacks and also 18.5 tackles for loss but just 46 tackles total, which shows some limitations but is also a reflection of a lack of use.
For some reason, Uche didn’t play as many snaps as he probably should have with Michigan football. He didn’t become a regular contributor until his redshirt sophomore season and that only happened when Rashan Gary got hurt.
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Yet, when Uche has played the past two seasons, he’s been extremely productive and in the NFL, you can be a sub-package guy and still be a dominant force and actually, there may be no place better for that than New England.