INDIANAPOLIS -- Could the Patriots be targeting a top running back with their first pick in this year's draft?
Perhaps.
Appearing on Sirius XM NFL Radio on Thursday, Georgia running back Sony Michel said his first meeting at the combine was with the Patriots.
Along with Nick Chubb, Michel was part of one of the best backfield's in college football last season with Georgia.
It is worth noting NFL teams meet with dozens of prospects at the NFL combine, so don't read too much into a reported meeting, but it's always interesting when the Patriots meet with one of the top prospects at a given position.
Michel, who is 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, can run in between the tackles and catch passes out of the backfield. He finished his collegiate career with 590 carries for 3,613 yards and 33 touchdowns, as well as 64 catches for 621 yards and six receiving touchdowns.
His best game came in Georgia's Rose Bowl win over Oklahoma this year when he rushed for 181 yards and three touchdowns on just 11 carries.
"I just want to show my ability to compete," Michel said Thursday. "That's what this is all about, come down here and compete with other guys and have some fun."
Michel is projected to be a first-round pick and is drawing some comparisons to offensive rookie of the year Alvin Kamara. This makes it a little intriguing as to why the Patriots are meeting with him when they don't pick until No. 31 overall and seem unlikely to draft a running back in the first round.
On the flip side, the Patriots could lose two running backs via free agency in Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead, so maybe they could make a splash in replacing them. Michel certainly would do that.
While people shouldn't read much into this meeting much, it would be something if the Patriots used their first-round pick on the former Georgia star.
