New England Patriots Rookie Profile: Michael Onwenu
- Position: Guard
- Age: 23
- Hometown: Detroit, MI
- College: Michigan
Measurables
- Height: 6-foot-3
- Weight: 344 pounds
- Arms: 34 3/8 inches
- Hands: 10 1/2 inches
Combine Results
- Bench press: 26 reps
The New England Patriots found themselves a gem in the sixth round when they drafted Michael Onwenu.
After playing on both sides of the football his freshman year, Onwenu settled in on offense in 2017, playing both guard spots. It wasn't until his final two seasons at Michigan that he became the full-time starter at right guard, and played well enough to earn third-team all-conference honors for the Big Ten in each of those seasons. His tremendous size is matched with great technique, which is why last season Onwenu only allowed three QB hits on 496 pass blocking snaps.
The biggest knock on Onwenu is his quickness. At 344 pounds, his feet aren't light enough to recover is he misses his assignment, and his ability to pull off the line is suspect. However, when he is able stay on the line and can get to the second level against linebackers, Onwenu is one of the best in the business. You also aren't going to find any defensive linemen that can rush through him.
Here are his PFF grades from last season:
- Overall: 78.7
- Run-block: 76.3
- Pass-block: 85.5
- Zone: 80.2
- Gap: 61.6
- True pass sets: 76.8
At 26 years old, starting right guard Shaq Mason isn't going anywhere anytime soon. His contract expires in 2024. So Onwenu at the moment will get settled in as nothing more than a reserve option for New England. But that's okay. Last season, the Patriots' offensive line unit struggled when they got hit with the injury bug because they lacked depth across the entire line. Adding Onwenu was done for the sole purpose of providing more depth.
Nevertheless, Onwenu will be the best reserve option New England has on the offensive line, and if anything were to happen to Mason, Onwenu would be able to step up and give a high level of play immediately for the six-time Super Bowl champions.
