The New England Patriots selected Michigan offensive lineman Michael Onwenu in the sixth round of the NFL Draft, with pick No. 182. He was one of 10 former U-M players to be taken in the 2020 draft, which is tied for the second most out of any school.
At U-M, Onwenu started 35 career games and was a two-time All-Big Ten performer. He's ready now for the next step, to play at football's highest level.
Onwenu is just the latest to go from Ann Arbor to New England. He will team up with fellow Wolverines Josh Uche — who the Patriots took with the 60th overall pick in the second round — and Chase Winovich, who is entering his second year in New England. Former teammate Devin Asiasi — who played two years at U-M before transferring to UCLA — was also taken by New England this year.
"I think it goes hand-in-hand with the school and the football," Onwenu said after being asked why he thinks U-M prospects are so attractive to Bill Belichick and the Patriots. "I mean, obviously we come from a good school, one of the best public schools, and have some of the best coaches that are out there.
"We're always being put in good positions to succeed on the field and off the field and we're pro-ready. As you could see in our last year's draft class, most of our guys are already contributing in the NFL."
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While it may seem like a concerted effort on the part of the Patriots to draft U-M players, Belichick insisted it was more about liking each prospect individually.
"Sometimes it just works out that way," Belichick said Saturday. "It's not really an intention to go in to draft a lot of players from one school or another. Honestly that's not anything we really think about. Just trying to take advantage of the opportunities to draft and put players on our team.
"Wherever they come from, they come from. It's more coincidence than anything else. Certainly it's a good program. From talking to Chase about some of the players, he was very complimentary about his teammates. I feel like they're all good players."
Former U-M quarterback Tom Brady played for the Patriots for 20 seasons, and won six Super Bowls. Onwenu was asked if watching Brady play for New England from afar for many years had an impact on how he feels about being drafted by the club.
"Yeah, definitely," he said. "[Brady] visited one of our games maybe two years ago. It's always been a nostalgic type of feeling even watching the Patriots, let alone seeing that he was an alumni and coming back."
Onwenu believes he's uniquely ready to transition into a new system in the NFL, because he played under three offensive coordinators in college and knows what it's like to adapt.
"I went through two offenses, so I've had a background of multiple schemes and plays that will be easier to transition to at the next step," he said.
Going up against defensive coordinator Don Brown's talent-filled unit and complex scheme in practice every day didn't hurt, either, Onwenu noted.
"I think it's set me up greatly," Onwenu said. "I mean, going from practice to game – and other defenses – it's like, Don Brown, he brings something different every week. So, it's keeping me specifically on my toes, just having me ready for everything."
In the pre-draft process, Onwenu shedded weight. He weighed in at 344 pounds at the combine in February after playing much heavier at U-M.
"Last season, I played around 368. I'm liking being lighter, so I'm anticipating I'm playing around – wherever the coaches ask me to be is where I'll be, in short words."
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