While the Patriots not getting much out of their high draft picks in recent years has been a major topic this season, that does not appear to be an issue with Kyle Dugger, the team's first selection in 2020.
Dugger, a safety out of D-II Lenoir-Rhyne University, was selected in the second-round and No. 37 overall. He's battled some injuries, but has 39 tackles in nine games, including three starts.
It's clear he has a bright future, which was something Devin McCourty hit on when speaking Wednesday.
"Aggressive. Physical," he said of Dugger. "I said it back when training camp started, he's not a guy that -- like usually coming from a smaller school, D-II and you think the biggest challenge for him is gonna be picking things up -- he didn't come in like that at all. I was honestly shocked even in the spring as we were reviewing things, how he was able to pick things up.
"You can tell that he came from a defensive system where they did more than one thing. They were multiple. He probably had multiple roles and it's been good just to see him get out here for consecutive weeks. He's been a little bit on the injury report and had to battle and miss some games. But you can tell, I think even from the outside looking in, the more he gets out there, the more he gets to do, he's going to be a really good player."
Dugger has seen his roles increase from week-to-week and that likely will continue for the remainder of the season.
