When the New England Patriots selected Division II safety Kyle Dugger in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, many fans were left scratching their heads. A defensive back out of Lenoir–Rhyne doesn’t exactly get the juices flowing.
Well, Rodney Harrison has a different take.
“To me, if you can play — there’s a lot to be said about Division I-AA players like myself, Division II players,” Harrison recently told NBC Sports’ Raul Martinez. “We’re hungry … And you get so tired of all the big schools and LSUs and (2020 second-round pick) Grant Delpits being named in front of you, so I think this kid’s gonna come in with an edge on him.
“I think Belichick’s gonna use him whether it’s over the slot, over the tight end, because they need a bigger guy that can come in and relieve Patrick Chung and cover tight ends. I love this pick. I absolutely love this pick.”
Caught up with @NBCSports and @SNFonNBC analyst @Rodney_Harrison. We talked about the #Patriots and their decision to take safety @KingDugg_3 in the second round.
Listen to the passion from Rodney and why he completely relates to him.@tomecurran @PhilAPerry @Gary_Tanguay pic.twitter.com/nFtXksoL5S— Raul Martinez (@RaulNBCBoston) May 8, 2020
It remains to be seen whether the Patriots were wise to target Dugger in Round 2. If nothing else, you can make a compelling case they should’ve identified a different area of need with the No. 37 pick in the draft.
Still, Dugger was a second-round pick in many mock drafts, and doubting Belichick probably is unwise, despite his spotty draft record.
