It was another busy day on the board for the Patriots. After drafting five players on Friday, the Patriots added another five guys: kicker Justin Rohrwasser, offensive lineman Michael Onwenu, offensive lineman Justin Herron, linebacker Cassh Maluia, and offensive lineman Dustin Woodard.
Let's get to know the new guys.
First, the Patriots drafted kicker Justin Rohrwasser out of Marshall, but it is actually a return to New England for him. He began his collegiate career with the University of Rhode Island before transferring to Marshall.
Before he took to kicking, Rohrwasser played soccer as a goalie, according to his conference call with New England media.
Onwenu, an offensive lineman, makes for yet another Wolverine added to the roster, joining former teammates Chase Winovich and Josh Uche.
Like Uche, Onwenu's parents came to the United States from Nigeria, and Onwenu spent plenty of time there. In an article MGo Blog, he said he and his family would go and visit his family in Nigeria multiple times a year and stay for a month or so at a time. Though he goes by Michael, his full name is Michael Justice Nnamezie Onwenu, according to an article on Michigan Athletics website.
At Michigan, Onwenu majored in African American studies with a business minor. He hopes to use his business knowledge to one day start a company dedicated to shoes for people with larger feet.
Entrepreneurship runs in the family, too. His mother, Rosaline, began selling geles, or head-ties, out of the family's basement. Her designs were such a hit that she eventually opened Sterose International Boutique in Detroit, where Onwenu and his siblings spent a lot of time growing up.
Herron comes to Foxborough from Wake Forest, and the offensive lineman spent six years in North Carolina after red-shirting two years. In his last season, he was voted to be a captain by his teammates. Herron described his leadership style in a phone call with New England media.
"Being a captain this past season was a huge honor and it definitely taught me a lot about myself and it taught me more about how can I communicate with players and what it means to be a leader," he said. "For me, honestly, I think the one thing about my leadership style that I like is the fact that I'm always respectful, no matter who I'm talking to. Coming in, I'm a rookie and I'm just planning on doing the best that I can and just getting better every day and learning from all the vets that are up there and being respectful."
He earned two degrees in psychology and communication, as well as a business minor. He earned a 3.9 GPA and even began a graduate program in liberal studies.
Though Herron is the first person to play football in his family, he is far from the only athlete. His dad and two uncles all played basketball at Villanova, and his uncle, Keith Herron, was selected in the second round of the 1978 NBA draft by the Portland Trailblazers. He played in the league until 1982.
Maluia is a linebacker from Wyoming, but despite being drafted at that position, he played both safety and quarterback in high school. He is one of six siblings, having grown up in Compton, Calif.
A feature in WyoSports.net details just how much of a role his family played in getting Maluia to compete and, more importantly, study at the college level. Though his father did not graduate high school, he wanted to make sure kids "didn't become statistics."
"I'm the sixth child in the family. So, I have five lessons in front of me. I learned from my siblings. I had siblings that went to college … that showed me that I can do it, too," Maluia said.
Like Devin Asiasi, Maluia is proudly Polynesian, and in an article in the Capser Star Tribune, he said he listened Samoan music to clear his head and relax himself before his Pro Day workouts.
The final pick for the Patriots in the 2020 draft was Woodard, an offensive lineman from Memphis, and over the course of his college career he played at left guard, right guard, and center.
Though he went to school in Tennessee, Woodard grew up in Arizona and attended Chandler High School, the same as N'Keal Harry. Before committing to Memphis, Woodard had offers from Air Force, Navy, and multiple Ivy League schools, according to an article in the Daily Memphian.
\Woodard and his family are incredibly close, so before leaving for school, his mother, Carmen, asked the coaching staff to treat her son like family, and Head Coach Ryan Silverfield kept his promise.
"I like to say he's my father away from home," he said. "We have a good bond, a good relationship. If I ever need anything I know he's going to be there for me."
And with that, the 2020 NFL Draft is in the books.
