Michael Onwenu (/oʊˈwɛnuː/ oh-WEN-oo)[1] (born December 10, 1997) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, and was selected by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL draft.
 Onwenu with Michigan in 2018 | |||||||
| No. 71 – New England Patriots | |||||||
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| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | 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) | ||||||
| College: | Michigan (2016–2019) | ||||||
| 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 3, 2024 | |||||||
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College career
editPlaying 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; he spent the final three years of his career at right guard, starting in his junior and senior years and earning third-team all-Big Ten Conference honors for both seasons.[2]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Bench 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
editOnwenu was selected by the New England Patriots in the sixth round (182nd overall) of 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 in all 16 of the Patriots' games.[11] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[12]
For the 2021 season, following the departure of left guard Joe Thuney and the acquisition of right tackle Trent Brown, Onwenu moved to left guard. However, Onwenu struggled and was benched in favor of backup guard Ted Karras; the former finished the season as a backup guard and was often used as a sixth offensive lineman.
The 2022 season was a bounce-back season for Onwenu; he was moved to right guard when first-round rookie Cole Strange was named starting left guard, and Karras had signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. Onwenu impressed at the position, being PFF's No. 4 ranked guard. He finished the season playing in 17 games, all of which he started in.
For the 2023 season, Onwenu was named starting right tackle after Isaiah Wynn signed with division rival Miami Dolphins; fourth-round rookie Sidy Sow took over as the starting right guard.
On March 14, 2024, Onwenu signed a three-year, $57 million contract extension with the Patriots.[13] After statring the first four games at right tackle, Onwenu switched back to right guard due to multiple injuries to the offensive line.
Personal life
editOnwenu is of Nigerian descent; his parents were born in Nigeria but later moved to the United States.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Pronunciation: Michael Onwenu". www.patriots.com. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c Brugler, Dane (April 7, 2020). The Athletic's 2020 NFL Draft Guide (PDF). The Athletic. p. 110. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ^ "Mike Onwenu Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "2020 Draft Scout Michael Onwenu, Michigan NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ "NFL Draft 2020 - New England Patriots select Michael Onwenu". YouTube.com. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ "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. October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "2020 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ Gordon, Grant (March 11, 2024). "Patriots re-signing OL Michael Onwenu to three-year, $57 million contract". NFL.com.