The New England Patriots might have found one of the biggest steals in the 2019 NFL Draft with Chase Winovich.
The edge rusher from the University of Michigan has played very well through three weeks of the preseason. So well, in fact, that Pro Football Focus graded Winovich as the third-best rookie in the entire league with a 92/100 grade over the first three preseason games.
Here's what Anthony Treash of PFF had to say about Winovich's performance so far:
Coming into the draft process, Winovich was the 29th overall prospect on the PFF draft board. The Patriots got him in the third round. Nonetheless, Winovich has dominated from day one for Bill Belichick and the Patriots dynasty with three run-stops, 12 total pressures and a pass-rush win rate of 36.7%
Winovich's impressive play is a welcome sign for the Patriots for a few reasons.
They lost a few key pieces on the defensive line in free agency, most notably Trey Flowers and Malcom Brown. The Patriots, even with Flowers and Brown last season, still tallied the second-fewest sacks (30) in the league. Only the Oakland Raiders (13 sacks) had fewer.
The Patriots, led by Winovich's 2.5 sacks, lead the preseason with 15 sacks overall. New England's defense was all over Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton in the first quarter of last Thursday's game. Patriots starters sacked Newton twice and forced him to escape the pocket on a few other occasions. One of those instances led to a foot injury for Newton that knocked him out of the game.
New England Patriots
It's important to not put too much stock in preseason performances, but the early returns from Winovich and the new Patriots front seven as a whole certainly have been encouraging through three games.
These stats show Winovich's value for Patriots>>>
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