Kyle Dugger got the call of a lifetime Friday night.
The New England Patriots selected the Lenoir–Rhyne safety with the 37th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. And after making a selection that surprised many, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick called Dugger to welcome him to New England. Team owner Robert Kraft also had a message for the Georgia native.
” … I’m sure (everybody) is really proud of you, and they should be,” Belichick said. “I just mainly wanna welcome you to the team right now, let you enjoy it. Just know there are a lot of good players up here, and quite a few players at your position: Devin McCourty, Pat Chung, guys like that. So, you got a lot of guys you can learn from.”
Added Kraft: “Congratulations, it’s great to have you as a Patriot. I think some people maybe under-appreciated you when you were in high school, but you’re our kind of guy.”
Watch the cool moment in the video below:
"You're our kind of guy."
The moment @KingDugg_3 got the call from BB & RKK. #PatsDraft pic.twitter.com/u6hh3dAS0Q
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) April 25, 2020
There are intimidating phone calls, and then there are phone calls from Bill Belichick.
While drafting a Division-II safety certainly was a noteworthy move by the Patriots, it was the decision to not select a quarterback that made headlines over the weekend. However, some believe Belichick still hasn’t shown all his cards.