Pats Pulpit
Previewing the Patriots safety and special teamer heading into his fourth season in the NFL.
One of the New England Patriots’ biggest issues over the last two years in particular was a general lack of blue-chip talent. There are some exceptions, though: Christian Gonzalez and Christian Barmore, for example, are among the best players the cornerback and defensive tackle positions have to offer, respectively.
Another player in that same category is Brenden Schooler, arguably the best special teamer in pro football right now.
Name: Brenden Schooler
Position: Safety/Special teamer
Jersey number: 41
Opening day age: 28 (5/30/1997)
Measurements: 6’1 5/8”, 210 lbs, 78 7/8” wingspan, 32 1/2” arm length, 8 1/2” hand size, 4.43s 40-yard dash, 6.71s 3-cone drill, 4.10s short shuttle, 37 1/2” vertical jump, 10’8” broad jump, 16 bench press reps, 9.76 Relative Athletic Score
NFL: New England Patriots (2022-) | College: Oregon (2016-19), Arizona (2020), Texas (2020-21)
A South California native, Schooler repeatedly changed high schools before his senior year at Mission Viejo in Mission Viejo, CA. In 2016, he joined the University of Oregon as a two-star wide receiver recruit and went on to spend four seasons with the Ducks. Playing on both sides of the ball as well as on special teams, he appeared in 41 games.
Schooler entered the transfer portal in 2020 and committed to Arizona to team up with his brother Colin. However, he left the school a short time later when the Covid-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the Pac-12 season. He moved to Texas, where he spent the final two seasons of his college career — the first one as a wideout, the second as a defensive back.
When Schooler made the move to the NFL in 2022, he did so with a combined 62 games and 31 starts on his résumé. He also had intercepted four passes, forced a fumble and caught 42 passes for 488 yards with four touchdowns.
Despite his versatility, experience and being recognized as a first-team All-Pac-12 special teamer twice (2017, 2018), Schooler did not hear his name called in the 2022 draft. Instead he joined the Patriots as a free agent.
Despite his lack of draft pedigree, he immediately established himself as a core player for the team in the game’s third phase. As a result, Schooler has played 1,115 special teams snaps over his 50 NFL games while leading the team with 36 tackles and a pair of blocks since his arrival. In 2024, he signed a three-year, $9 million contract extension and was both named first-team All-Pro and voted to his first Pro Bowl.
Strengths: As a size-speed athlete, Schooler is the total package. Standing at just under 6-foot-2 and weighing 210 pounds, he provides impressive length and reach as well as an an excellent athletic skillset. He is a strong linear athlete but also offers the burst and short-area quickness needed to fight his way downfield in kick coverage situations; Schooler is very...
