A few Patriots rookies could find themselves with critical roles from the get-go in their New England tenure.
Among those Patriots with a chance to make a real impact in Year 1 is Josh Uche, who New England traded up to land in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Pats selected Uche weeks after losing a trio of 'backers -- Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins and Elandon Roberts -- in free agency, and the team's position group took another hit last month when stalwart Dont'a Hightower opted out of the upcoming campaign over coronavirus concerns.
In turn, we could see quite a bit of Uche on the field this season. But even if the Michigan product's snap count is somewhat limited, Peter King believes Uche will make the most of his playing time.
In fact, the NBC Sports scribe projects Uche to win this season's Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.
"The 60th pick in the draft is intriguing because he's a little undersized (6-3, 230) and he played only 53 percent of the defensive snaps at Michigan last year," King wrote in his latest Football Morning in America column. "He may not play more than that in Foxboro, but his production around the edge could mimic Kyle Van Noy’s last year in the best season of Van Noy's life. The Michigan tape of Uche (pronounced “OO-chay”) suggests the versatility and production Bill Belichick demands from his linebackers."
Uche is set to make his NFL debut this Sunday when the Patriots host the AFC East rival Miami Dolphins for a Week 1 clash.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
