The Patriots went into the 2020 NFL Draft with an already-strong secondary. They didn’t waste any time adding to that unit. With the 37th pick overall, in the second round, the Pats Friday drafted safety Kyle Dugger from Division II Lenoir-Rhyne.

Dugger is a versatile 6-foot-1-inch safety with the ability to play free safety, in the box or even some linebacker.

He is the reigning Division II Defensive Player of the Year and the first player drafted to the NFL from Lenoir-Rhyne since 2000. He’s extremely athletic. Last year, he was a second-team All-American as a safety and punt returner, who averaged 14.6 yards per return and had two scores.

"It was probably the closest thing to my first Christmas," Dugger said of being drafted by the Patriots. "I did know that they were going to have interest in me. I was talking to them a lot to them during this process — a lot with [head coach Bill] Belichick."

Dugger describes his play style as "versatile, smart and high IQ." At Lenoir-Rhyne, he finished with 10 career interceptions to go with 36 pass deflections and 237 career tackles. As a punt returner, he scored six touchdowns in his collegiate career, averaging 13.9 yards per return. He also returned 10 kickoffs, averaging 19.6 yards per return. He is now the highest draft pick in the school’s history.

Although the Patriots’ secondary is their strong suit, there was still a need. This summer, starters Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung will turn 33. Dugger looks like a replacement for Chung, who dealt with a list of injuries last season. The Pats also traded backup safety Duron Harmon to the Detroit Lions this offseason. Dugger joins McCourty, Chung, Adrian Phillips, Terence Brooks, Obi Melifonwu, Cody Davis, Adarius Pickett and Malik Gant on the safety depth chart.

This offseason, Dugger looked like a Patriots fit and made The Providence Journal’s list of prototypical Patriots at the safety position. When you look at every safety Belichick has drafted and average their NFL Combine times, Dugger matched on six of eight marks — height, weight, 40-yard time, vertical, bench press and broad jump. He may have hit more as he did not run the 3-cone or shuttle at the Combine. Athletically, his times compare to NFL veterans such as Eric Berry and Eric Reid.

Dugger was relatively unknown in high school playing for Whitewater in Decatur, Ga. He was a late bloomer and didn't start for his team until his senior year. He said his Division II journey was something that created a chip on his shoulder.

"As far as a chip, it’s definitely grown a lot on my shoulder and it’s definitely going to be permanent. I’m going to carry it in my career as long as I have the opportunity to play the game," Dugger said. "Division II football made me different. The program wasn’t made to produce NFL players. If I wanted to get better, I had to take it into my own hands as far as my work ethic, the way I approach myself, look at myself on film. I had to go the extra mile. ... It developed a lot of work ethic and things I do off the field."

He spent six years in college with a redshirt year in 2014 and then a medical redshirt year in 2016 because of a torn meniscus. On the field, he dominated. He earned conference Defensive Freshman of the Year honors in 2015 as a cornerback. He earned first-team honors as a safety in 2017 and as a safety and punt returner in 2018 (17.2 yards per return and two touchdowns). Last year, he played in only seven games because of a hand injury. He finished with 31 tackles, six deflections and two interceptions.

The Patriots ended up with the 37th pick after a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday in which the Pats dealt their first-round pick (23rd overall) and got back the second-round selection as well as a third-round pick (71st overall). The thought process all along was that the Patriots could land their potential first-round target with the 37th pick.

"It’s definitely been a journey with a lot of ups and downs," Dugger said. "To take the route I took and play for an organization like this is a huge honor. I’m still kind of shocked, really. ... I’m that much hungrier at this point. I want this really bad."

mdaniels@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @MarkDanielsPJ