Second-year edge rusher Josh Uche showed flashes in limited time his rookie season but looks poised for a breakout in year two.

Although much of the chatter has centered around Bill Belichick’s drafting of wide receivers, he may have found another defensive gem in linebacker Josh Uche who has impressed with his athleticism and versatility early on.

Drafted out of Michigan in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Uche played in just nine games his rookie season after spending the first several weeks inactive due to injury. He ended the season with just seven tackles and one sack. Similarly, injuries his senior year at Michigan were likely the culprit in his falling to 60 to the Patriots because his physical ability is that of a player drafted much higher than that. In his final two seasons at Michigan, Uche amassed 14.5 sacks and 46 total tackles in 21 games.

However, despite his limited action and having just one sack in his rookie year, Uche constantly made the most of his time on the field and showed flashes of being the athletic pass rusher he was coming out of college. As Phil Perry pointed out, from Week 8 on, Uche was third among NFL edge rushers in pass-rush win rate trailing just Joey Bosa and Samson Ebukam.

When asked in December about Uche, head coach Bill Belichick couldn’t help but be impressed with the early returns.

“He’s definitely going to be an asset for us,” said Belichick. “If he continues to work and improve, he’s got a good future.”

Is @_Uche35 poised for a breakout season in 2021? #GoPats @FullPressNFL pic.twitter.com/LBZp7s8gcH

— Full Press Patriots (@FPC_Patriots) July 30, 2021

Uche Garners National Attention Among Second-Year Players

It’s not just the media or Bill Belichick that is impressed early on. Seth Galina of Pro Football Focus wrote a story for ESPN highlighting the second-year players poised to become stars in 2021 and Uche made the list.

Per Galina:

“Uche has quickness and good hands to detach from offensive linemen on pass plays and good hip movement to get around the corner. From Week 8 — when Uche was awarded his first defensive snaps of the season — until the end of the year, his 77.6 PFF grade ranked second only to Chase Young among rookie edge players. That ranked 16th overall. A full season as a starter could see him put up big numbers.”

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Matthew Judon Already Sees The Potential In Uche

New Patriot linebacker, Matthew Judon, has already seen enough through two training camp practices to realize Uche has the potential to be special.

“Uche is going to be great, man. He’s a sponge,” said Judon following Patriots training camp on Thursday. “He’s soaking up so much knowledge and he can play any position, anywhere in the front seven. We don’t really want him at nose, but if he has to do it he will do it. He will do it with a smile. Getting here, I love gelling with Uche and just shooting with Uche. So far, he’s been really cool.”

The arrival of Judon and the return of Dont’a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy will only help Uche’s development throughout year two. If his development continues and with the addition of the aforementioned players as well as players like Chase Winovich and Ja’Whaun Bentley, the Patriots could boast one of the best front sevens in all of football.