Patriots rookies aren’t often challenged with making a high impact from the get-go in Foxboro. Instead, we typically see a gradual progression from first-year players in New England.
Josh Uche, however, finds himself in a unique situation.
The Patriots traded up in the second round to land Uche with the 60th overall pick. Not only did the selection address New England’s glaring need at linebacker, the Michigan product also fits the mold of the type of defensive player Bill Belichick favors. Uche boasts above-average versatility, and has the potential to be somewhat of a jack of all trades in Foxboro.
Given Uche’s skill set, coupled with the state of New England’s linebacking corps, NFL writer Jeffri Chadiha believes the 21-year-old needs to succeed in Year 1.
“Sure, he’s undersized at 6-3 and 226 pounds, but he also represents a breed of new ultra-athletic defenders that will be vital in a league with so many mobile quarterbacks,” Chadiha wrote of Uche for NFL.com. “Belichick could utilize Uche as an edge rusher, an inside linebacker or simply a wild card who could blitz from any spot in a defensive alignment. The key here is how quickly Uche can learn. Belichick asks a lot of his players mentally and that’s going to be a challenge for a rookie who primarily was asked to chase the quarterback as a hybrid defender in college. However, the Pats said farewell to several key defensive contributors from last year, including linebackers Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins and Elandon Roberts. Somebody has to make up for those losses. Uche is as good a place to start as any for a team still hoping to contend in a division it has owned for two decades.”
Luckily for the Patriots, Uche is poised to hit the ground running in New England. In fact, the former Wolverine apparently already has a strong grasp of the team’s defense thanks to some work with Jerod Mayo.
