Michael Onwenu

Michael Onwenu (/oʊˈwɛnuː/)[1] (born December 10, 1997) is an American football guard for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan.

Michael Onwenu
refer to caption
Onwenu with Michigan in 2018
No. 71 – New England Patriots
Position:Guard
Personal information
Born: (1997-12-10) December 10, 1997
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:350 lb (159 kg)
Career information
High school:Cass Technical
(Detroit, Michigan)
College:Michigan (2016–2019)
NFL Draft:2020 / Round: 6 / Pick: 182
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2022
Games played:49
Games started:41
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

College career

Playing at Cass Technical High School, Onwenu was the top-ranked recruit in the state of Michigan for his class and committed to Michigan over Alabama, Ohio State and others.[2] He played on both the offensive line and defensive line his freshman year before spending the final three years of his career at right guard, starting the final two and earning third-team all-Big Ten Conference honors his junior and senior seasons.[2]

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand spanBench press
6 ft 2+5⁄8 in
(1.90 m)		 344 lb
(156 kg)		 34+3⁄8 in
(0.87 m)		 10+1⁄2 in
(0.27 m)		26 reps
All values from NFL Combine[3][4][5]

New England Patriots

Onwenu was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round (182nd overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft.[6]

During the early portion of his rookie season, Onwenu played across the offensive line after injuries affected the normal lineup;[7][8] Onwenu took snaps as a sixth offensive lineman/jumbo tight end, at right tackle, and at both guard positions.[9] After starting the first two games as a sixth offensive lineman, Onwenu made his first career start at left guard against the Las Vegas Raiders. He helped the Patriots amass 250 rushing yards in a 36–20 victory.[10] Despite alternating between guard and tackle, Onwenu finished the year ranked as one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL and started all 16 Patriots games.[11]

Following the departure of Joe Thuney and the acquisition of Trent Brown, Onwenu moved to left guard for the 2021 season, however Onwenu struggled and was benched in favor of Ted Karras and finished the season as a backup guard and often being used as a sixth offensive lineman.

The 2022 season was a bounce back season for Onwenu as he moved to right guard as rookie Cole Strange was the starting left guard, Onwenu impressed at the position, being PFF's No. 4 ranked guard.

Personal life

Onwenu is of Nigerian descent; his parents were born in Nigeria but later moved to the United States.[2]

References
  1. "Pronunciation: Michael Onwenu". www.patriots.com. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  2. Brugler, Dane (April 7, 2020). The Athletic's 2020 NFL Draft Guide (PDF). The Athletic. p. 110. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  3. "Mike Onwenu Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  4. "2020 Draft Scout Michael Onwenu, Michigan NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  5. "NFL Draft 2020 - New England Patriots select Michael Onwenu". YouTube.com. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  6. "Patriots select Michael Onwenu with 182nd pick in 2020 NFL Draft". boston.com. April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  7. Clements, Devon (September 29, 2020). "Patriots OL Michael Onwenu Biggest Surprise of 2020 Rookie Class". Patriot Maven. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  8. Brugler, Dane (October 6, 2020). "Justin Herbert, Chase Young lead NFL All-Rookie Team at quarter mark of season". The Athletic. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  9. "What We Learned About Patriots' Young Contributors In Loss To Chiefs". NESN.com. October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  10. "Rex Burkhead's 3 TDs power Patriots to 36-20 win over Raiders". Boston.com. September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  11. Barth, Alex (January 5, 2021). "Patriots Rookie Review: Offensive Line". 985thesportshub.com. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.