FOXBORO, Mass. — After a flurry of trades on Day 2 of the 2019 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected Michigan defensive end Chase Winovich with the 77th overall pick Friday night.
Winovich tallied 18 sacks and 44 1/2 tackles in 45 games for the Wolverines, including five sacks and 17 TFLs as a senior in 2018. Considered a high-motor player, he’s also highly athletic, ranking first among edge rushers at the NFL Scouting Combine in the short shuttle, third in the three-cone drill and fourth in the 40-yard dash.
Here are Winovich’s measurables and combine testing numbers:
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 256 pounds
Hand size: 10 inches
Arm length: 32 3/4 inches
40-yard dash: 4.59 seconds
Bench press: 18
Vertical jump: 30 1/2 inches
Broad jump: 116 inches
Three-cone drill: 6.94 seconds
Short shuttle: 4.11 seconds
In Winovich’s NFL.com draft profile, Lance Zierlein described him as a “physical edge defender who plays the game like he has zombie blood pumping through his veins.”
The evaluators at Pro Football Focus also were high on the blond-maned pass rusher, ranking him as the fourth-best edge defender and 29th-best prospect in this year’s draft class.
Winovich will help bolster a Patriots edge group that lost star Trey Flowers in free agency. He’ll join veteran newcomer Michael Bennett in a unit that also features Deatrich Wise, John Simon, Derek Rivers, Keionta Davis, Ufomba Kamalu and Trent Harris.
The Patriots drafted Winovich after trading the 64th overall pick to the Seattle Seahawks for pick No. 77 and a fourth-round selection (No. 118). They also dealt No. 73 and a sixth-rounder to the Chicago Bears for third-rounder (No. 87), a fifth-rounder (No. 162) and a 2020 fourth-rounder.
