Breaking down everything you need to know about Patriots second round pick Josh Uche.
Josh Uche, LB: 2nd round, 60th overall
Height: 6-3
Weight: 226 lbs
Born: 9/18/1998
College: Michigan
Hometown: Miami, Fla.
Strengths: Explosive pass rusher with good length and strength. … Plays with great effort, no snaps off. …Quick off ball, with good bend around the arc. … Active hands. …Great closing burst. …Impressive Senior Bowl week. …Versatile, played out of two- and three-point stance. …Experience dropping into coverage zones as well as playing as "B" gap blitzer. …Could project both on the edge and as an off-the-ball linebacker. …Special teams experience.
Weaknesses: Undersized for full-time edge work. …Unclear NFL position, tweener on edge or off-the-ball. …Limited experience, only played 52.8 percent of snaps as senior in part-time role and 657 total snaps in college career. …Will need to improve instincts and diagnose skills from second level. …In-space tackling concerns. …Injury history includes stress fracture in foot and torn meniscus. …Only did bench press at scouting combine due to hamstring injury sustained during Senior Bowl.
Personal: Attended the same high school as former U-M and NFL quarterback Brian Griese. … Won Florida Class 8A state championships as junior and senior in high school. …Three-year letterman at Michigan. …40 career games with nine starts. …Recorded 16.5 career sacks. …Voted defensive player of the year by his Michigan teammates. … All-Big Ten second team selected by coaches as senior. …Twitter handle is @_Uche35
Comparable NFL player: Devon Kennard, versatile with better explosiveness. Anthony Barr, athleticism from the weakside linebacker position.
By the Numbers
| YEAR | GP | UA | A | TOTAL | TFL | YDS | SACKS | YDS | PD | FF | FR | INT | YDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1.0 | 10.0 | 1.0 | 10.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 12 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 8.0 | 50.0 | 7.0 | 44.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 13 | 23 | 12 | 35 | 11.5 | 74.0 | 8.5 | 65.0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
View photos of Patriots LB Josh Uche in action during his time at Michigan and from the NFL Combine.
Michigan linebacker Josh Uche (6) pressures Western Michigan quarterback Jon Wassink (16) in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)
Michigan linebacker Josh Uche plays in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Middle Tennessee in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Michigan linebacker Josh Uche plays against Middle Tennessee in the second half of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Michigan linebacker Josh Uche (6) hits Rutgers quarterback Artur Sitkowski (8) as he throws in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Indiana quarterback Peyton Ramsey (12) fumbles after being hit by Michigan linebacker Josh Uche (6) during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019, in Bloomington, Ind. Michigan won 39-14. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
The University of Michigan football team loses to Penn State, 28-21, at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa., on Oct. 19, 2019.
The University of Michigan football team loses to Penn State, 28-21, at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa., on Oct. 19, 2019.
Michigan football beats Notre Dame 45-14 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Sat., Oct. 26, 2019.
Michigan linebacker Josh Uche does the bench press at the NFL football scouting combine Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, in Indianapolis. (AJ Mast/AP Images for NFL)
Workout Numbers
| UCHE | COMBINE AVG. FOR POS. | |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 6-2 | 6-2 |
| Weight | 226 | 244 |
| 40 Yards | DNP | 4.67 |
| BENCH (225) | 18 | 21 |
| VERTICAL JUMP | DNP | 34 7/8 |
| LONG JUMP | DNP | 128 |
| SHUTTLE | DNP | 4.29 |
| CONE | DNP | 6.98 |
DNP - Did not participate (hamstring injury).
What they're saying …
NFL.com: Balancing Uche's skill set and athletic potential against his inexperience and lack of instincts makes him a challenging evaluation. He's unlikely to find sustained success as a situational rusher, but it should be in play for a team to turn loose his rush instincts and agility inside the pocket as a blitzer.
Dane Brugler: Overall, Uche will require a patient coaching staff as he learns to be a more polished and instinctive player, but his twitched-up athleticism and edge speed are difference-making traits, projecting as an NFL nickel rusher and eventual starter.
