Without Devin McCourty, Who's 'Underappreciated' Leader of Patriots Secondary?
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The recent talk surrounding the New England Patriots secondary in 2023 has either revolved around the addition of Christian Gonzalez, their 2023 first-round draft pick, or the retirement of team captain Devin McCourty. It makes sense, considering that those are the two most recent events that will affect the play of the backend of New England's defense.
But it seems in that excitement about the addition of Gonzalez, and potentially the worry of the hole left behind by McCourty, is the fact that the Patriots bring back an important contributor in the secondary with safety Kyle Dugger.
Since bursting onto the scene after being selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Dugger has become a star in the Patriots' secondary operating not only as a traditional safety but also converting to linebacker or lining up in the slot or on the perimeter like a cornerback. The Patriots get all of this versatility for the price of a cheap rookie contract, which makes Dugger "underappreciated" in the eyes of NFL.com.
"Computer vision shows that Dugger ranked third among safeties in burst on run plays when aligned within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage in 2022," NFL.com writes. "PFF's grade for Dugger in run defense is in alignment with that metric; he was one of only six safeties to post a grade of 75 or better against the run (76.7) and in coverage (78.3). His overall defensive grade (78.4) ranked 11th at the position."
The versatile role that Dugger plays in the New England defense is exactly why it is unlikely he'll become the direct replacement of McCourty.
The more apt comparison for Dugger's role in the Patriots' defense is akin to Patrick Chung. Except Dugger provides New England with more juice, as evidenced by his 4.49 40-yard dash time and 90 athleticism score handed out on his NFL.com scouting report.
While the intent of the article isn't to say the Patriots don't know what they have in Dugger, because they certainly do; it is more to show that despite the utter failure of the 2019 draft class, New England is still capable of finding these "underappreciated" players in college and developing them into stars.
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