Pats Pulpit
Previewing the Patriots safety heading into his sixth season with the team.
Mike Vrabel’s efforts to revitalize the New England Patriots from a cultural perspective led some significant personnel turnover. Longtime franchise cornerstones such as David Andrews, Ja’Whaun Bentley and Joe Cardona were released, while others like Deatrich Wise Jr. and Jonathan Jones were not retained in free agency.
As a consequence, the “old guard” looks quite a bit different now. The oldest among them, at least in terms of tenure, is Kyle Dugger.
Name: Kyle Dugger
Position: Safety
Jersey number: 23
Opening day age: 29 (3/22/1996)
Measurements: 6’0 7/8”, 216 lbs, 32 7/8” arm length, 10 3/8” hand size, 4.49s 40-yard dash, 42” vertical jump, 11’2” broad jump, 17 bench press reps, 9.56 Relative Athletic Score
NFL: New England Patriots (2020-) | College: Lenoir-Rhyne (2014-19)
A three-sport athlete at Whitewater High School in Fayetteville, GA, Dugger was a relatively late bloomer as far as his football career was concerned. As a result, he went largely overlooked heading toward college and ended up getting only three scholarship offers: he opted for Lenoir-Rhyne over Berry College and Reinhardt University, and ended up spending his entire six-year college career as a Bear.
In those six years, Dugger saw action in 42 games and became one of the best players in Division II. A versatile defensive back and prolific returner, he ended up receiving first-team All-SAC recognition twice and in 2019 was the recipient of the Cliff Harris Award honoring the best small school defender in the country.
Due to his success, Dugger heard his name called 37th overall in the NFL’s virtual 2020 draft. Despite missing a traditional pre-season preparation due to the league’s Covid-19 restrictions, he still made an immediate impact for the Patriots and ended up starting seven games as a rookie. He never looked back and over the four years since has become a foundational player for the organization — one awarded with a four-year, $58 million contract extension in 2024.
New England opting to lock up Dugger long term was no surprise given his importance to the operation and ability to contribute in a positive fashion. Appearing in a combined 75 regular season and playoff games since joining the team, he played almost 4,000 defensive snaps and registered 10 takeaways, three of which returned for touchdowns. He also served as on-field signal caller and was named a captain during the 2024 season.
Strengths: Standing at 6-foot-1 and 216 pounds, Dugger is a well-built player who offers an intriguing combination of size and athleticism. He has the speed and burst to be an impact player regardless of alignment, which has allowed him to play all over the defense: he is rangy enough to play deep in one- or two-high shells and physical enough to hold his own closer to the line of scrimmage. A “lead by example” player, he also is an experienced communicator linking the second and third levels of...
