Michigan Football: Patriots stockpile underrated talent with Josh Uche

The Patriots have always been known to find talent anywhere in the draft and they continued that trend with Michigan football’s Josh Uche.

One of the things that Bill Belichick values the most on the defensive side of the football is versatility. The Patriots don’t just want their pass rushers to rush, but they want them to be able to play in coverage and be used in a variety of ways. They want their linebackers to be able to play the run, be a situational pass rusher, and cover tight ends and running backs.

Former Michigan defensive end Josh Uche will be a guy that can do a lot of those things for the Patriots and the good news is he’s just starting to scratch the surface of his potential.

Uche was a three-star recruit out of the state of Florida, but chose to take his talents to Michigan to play for Jim Harbaugh. He redshirted his first season on campus and played mostly in a reserve role for the next couple of years, but he started to prove himself as a useful pass rusher by recording seven sacks as a backup in 2018 and was showing a glimpse of what was to come.

Just scratched the surface for Michigan football

The Florida-native stepped into a starting role for the first time last season and he made the most of his opportunities by recording eight sacks.

Uche is not a finished product, however, and that is what makes his NFL potential so intriguing. He will have to show that at the next level he can be more than just an edge rusher and he will have to develop more ways to win when rushing the passer instead of just using his exceptional athleticism.

Some young edge rushers with promise never could build on promising starts to their careers because of their inability to win against offensive with anything more than just their athleticism. Take Titans defensive end Vic Beasley, for example. He was a top 10 pick by the Falcons and seemed to be an up-and-coming talent after he led the league in sacks in 2016 with 15.5. He could not develop into anything more than just an athletic specimen and that is why he is no longer in Atlanta.

Uche may not make the biggest impact on the field as a rookie in 2020, but I don’t think many expect him to. He needs to develop an all-around game but when he does, Belichick may have found him another draft steal.