At Right Guard, The Versatile Mike Onwenu Is Right Where The New England Patriots Want Him

The combinations are subject to change along the offensive line. But while eight players have checked in there for the New England Patriots this regular season, two have yet to check out.

Mike Onwenu is one of them. And at right guard, the versatile Michigan product is right where his head coach wants him despite unsteady play elsewhere.

“That’s what we’ve tried to do since we drafted him,” Bill Belichick told reporters during his Wednesday press conference.

Taken in the sixth round of the 2020 draft at No. 182 overall, Onwenu began his initial NFL campaign reporting as an eligible tight end. Starts at both guard spots followed. Before long, so did starts at right tackle amid attrition. And that’s where he was named to the Pro Football Writers of America’s All-Rookie team while leading his team in performance-based pay.

“We didn’t ever really anticipate playing him at tackle, and then we got into a bind and put him out there and he played pretty good,” Belichick said. “But I think he’s built to play guard. He’s comfortable playing guard.”

The right bookend spot wound up in the hands of the towering Trent Brown, who is now on the left side, last year. Both have since played all 572 snaps from September into November.

New England’s starting arrangement around No. 77 and No. 71 has fluctuated for reasons ranging from injury to performance. It’s included rookie Cole Strange and captain David Andrews along with rotating veterans James Ferentz, Isaiah Wynn, Yodny Cajuste and Marcus Cannon.

Yet in Onwenu, there’s been a constant worth keeping between the A-gap and B-gap.

“It’s been cool for me,” Onwenu said in October. “Being consistent, being in the same spot, so it’s been good.”

Onwenu’s tenure in Ann Arbor began on the defensive side of the ball. He went on to make 34 starts at right guard for the Wolverines. But 35 offensive linemen had their names drafted before him that spring.

An East-West Shine Bowl invite who twice earned third-team All-Big Ten honors is now emerging among the league’s best.

According to Pro Football Focus, only five blockers around the league have produced a higher grade this season than Onwenu’s 86.0. He currently ranks behind the Atlanta Falcons’ Chris Lindstrom, Cleveland Browns’ Joel Bitonio, San Francisco 49ers’ Trent Williams, New York Giants’ Andrew Thomas and Minnesota Vikings’ Christian Darrisaw.

Onwenu has been charted for no sacks allowed through nine starts. His pass protection has given up one quarterback hit and three quarterback hurries. His work in the running game has been comparable to Shaq Mason, the mauling right guard that the organization traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March.

“He has a really good skillset in there,” added Belichick. “That’s where we’d like to play him, for sure. But could he do other things for us? He’s played on both sides. He could play right tackle — he’s definitely done that. That adds a lot of versatility and value and depth to our offensive line. That’s why we do those things in training camp. In case things come up, you need to move guys around. Sometimes that’s what you need to do. But that was a big benefit for us when we did that in his rookie year back in ’20.”