Patriots
“I’m on the group text with my guys like: Mannnn, you’re all going to Foxborough with Tom and Bill…”
Nick Chubb has earned four Pro Bowl nominations since being drafted in 2018. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, file)
Nick Chubb has established himself as one of the best running backs in the NFL, earning four Pro Bowl nominations during his seven seasons with the Browns.
But even with his stacked stat line (48 rushing touchdowns, four 1,000-yard rushing seasons), Chubb was still overlooked by most of the league entering the 2018 NFL Draft, including the Patriots.
To twist the knife even further, the eventual second-round pick (No. 35 overall) out of Georgia saw two of his college teammates get selected by New England in the first round.
The Patriots held both the 23rd and 31st picks in the first round of this draft, with New England opting to draft Bulldogs tackle Isaiah Wynn and running back Sony Michel with those selections.
The Baltimore Ravens only took two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson one pick (32nd overall) after Michel was moved off the board by New England, while the Browns took Chubb a few more picks. late.
Although Chubb quickly took over with Cleveland, he admitted in a recent article on The Players’ Tribune that he was disappointed to see the Patriots overlook him as they drafted Wynn and Michel on draft night.
“When I slipped in the second round, it was so crazy because it wasn’t just that I slipped, it was also that my dog, my roommate Sony, ended up getting drafted by the Patriots in the first round, and of course, I was great for him,” Chubb noted. “But my other dog, our roommate Isaiah Wynn, is also being picked by New England.
“So I’m sitting there with my family at a Buffalo Wild Wings, and everyone’s trying to put on their game face and not look disappointed, and I’m on the group text with my guys like: Mannnn, you’re all going to Foxborough with Tom. [Brady] and Bill [Belichick]…..”
While Chubb quickly established himself as a franchise player with the Browns, returns were more mixed for Michel and Wynn in New England.
Michel only played three seasons in New England before being traded to the Rams ahead of the 2021 season. The running back made the most of his rookie season, scoring six touchdowns and totaling 931 rushing yards in 13 games.
Michel did his best for the playoffs, averaging 112.0 yards per game and scoring six touchdowns in three postseason appearances during New England’s run to a sixth Super Bowl title in 2018. He scored the Patriots’ only touchdown in the team’s 13–3 victory over the Rams in Super Bowl LIII.
Wynn played four seasons in New England, primarily at left tackle. But he struggled to live up to his potential as a member of the franchise on the offensive line, with New England ultimately letting him enter free agency after the 2022 season.
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