Chase Winovich proving to be a major asset for New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are getting big-time performance out of rookie edge rusher Chase Winovich this preseason.
The New England Patriots took Chase Winovich in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft and it immediately felt like an ideal fit. In college at Michigan, Winovich was known as a high-motor player who never gave up on a play. While that is undoubtedly true, there is much more to Winovich’s game and he is showing off his entire skill-set this offseason.
When we hear about a high-motor player, we typically think of a guy who lacks in other areas. When it comes to Winovich, that simply is not the case.
With a fantastic first step and impressive burst around the edge, Winovich is an impressive athlete who is proving to have fantastic upside at the next level. As an edge rusher, Winovich gains an immediate edge over the opposing offensive tackle and creates pressure with a variety of pass rush moves. Whether he is rushing the passer or defending the run, he does an incredible job fo continuing to attack the ball, simply never giving up on the play.
His athleticism is legit and he has extremely impressive closing speed on the quarterback and overall pursuit skills. Through two preseason games, Winovich has sacked the quarterback three times and has generally been all over the field making plays.
He was even named to PFF’s NFL Team of the week for his performance in the Patriots’ second preseason game against the Detroit Lions. Against the Lions, Winovich had a sack, one quarterback hit and six hurries. Simply put, he has been absolutely dominant for the New England Patriots.
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Winovich has done a majority of his damage against second and third-string offensive units. However, with his combination of obvious athleticism on the edge and incredibly high motor, Winovich is extremely likely to continue to have success against starting-caliber NFL players. He is unlikely to be as dominant, but even if Winovich can put up half of the production that he currently is, that would be incredible for a third-round rookie.