Mike Onwenu
| No. 71 – New England Patriots | |||||||
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| Position: | Offensive guard | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | December 10, 1997 Detroit, Michigan | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 350 lb (159 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Cass Technical (Detroit, Michigan) | ||||||
| College: | Michigan | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2020 / round: 6 / pick: 182 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2020 | |||||||
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Michael Onwenu (/oʊˈwɛnuː/)[1] (born December 10, 1997) is an American football offensive guard for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan.
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
Onwenu was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round (182nd overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft.[3]
During the early portion of his rookie season, Onwenu played across the offensive line after injuries affected the normal lineup;[4][5] Onwenu took snaps as a sixth offensive lineman/jumbo tight end, at right tackle, and at both guard positions.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]
Personal life
Onwenu is of Nigerian descent; his parents were born in Nigeria but later moved to the United States.[2]
References
- ^ "Pronunciation: Michael Onwenu". www.patriots.com. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
- ^ a b c Brugler, Dane (April 7, 2020). The Athletic's 2020 NFL Draft Guide (PDF). The Athletic. p. 110. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ^ "Patriots select Michael Onwenu with 182nd pick in 2020 NFL Draft". boston.com. April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ Clements, Devon (September 29, 2020). "Patriots OL Michael Onwenu Biggest Surprise of 2020 Rookie Class". Patriot Maven. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "What We Learned About Patriots' Young Contributors In Loss To Chiefs". NESN.com. 2020-10-06. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
- ^ "Rex Burkhead's 3 TDs power Patriots to 36-20 win over Raiders". Boston.com. September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- ^ Barth, Alex (January 5, 2021). "Patriots Rookie Review: Offensive Line". 985thesportshub.com. Retrieved January 6, 2021.