Patriots: 3 offensive rookies who will make huge impacts in 2020
1. Devin Asiasi
The Patriots selected Devin Asiasi 91st overall, making him the second tight end to be drafted in 2020.
At 6-foot-3 and 257 pounds, Devin Asiasi is poised to be a versatile threat from the tight end position for the Patriots this season, which is an element the team greatly missed from the position in 2019.
Paired with Asiasi’s athleticism is his 80.13-inch wingspan that will allow him to succeed in both the rushing and passing game. He’ll be able to create separation when running routes and get out in front of blocks, which could help the Patriots pick up big chunks of yardage.
Rookie tight ends Dalton Keene and Devin Asiasi working on creating some separation, taking direction from tight ends coach Nick Caley. pic.twitter.com/7iouILvRbB
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) August 19, 2020
Asiasi could be the steal of the draft this season. He was able to gain 15.4 yards per reception while at UCLA, tallying 50 catches for 771 yards and five touchdowns in 16 games across 2018 and 2019. His potential has yet to be unleashed with such limited college experience.
The former Bruin brings youth and speed to the tight end position, which is a factor the Pats haven’t had over the last few years. His long strides allowed him to run a quite impressive 4.73 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine this year.
To get a better understanding of what Asiasi brings to the gridiron, Patriots insider Phil Perry brought in Asiasi’s UCLA tight end coach, Derek Sage, onto an episode of his Next Pats Podcast. Here’s what he had to say:
"“I think Devin is a good blend of what people are looking for at 6’3, 257 [lbs]. People say ‘you know, he’s not Gronk’, well nobody is. He’s [Gronk] almost 6’7, 258 lbs and his ability to run like Devin and block and all of this. But I think Devin gives you that versatility at 6’3, 257 [lbs] that is kind of in between and can do both and be really athletic. But in terms of the RAC (run after the catch) which we focus on a lot in our program, we tell the tight ends since they’re much bigger bodies to get down to pad level with a defensive back that is trying to take your knees out because you’re a bigger guy. When you take an athlete that is well rounded like Devin and put some focus on that, you’re going to see guys getting hurdled and guys getting stiff-armed.”"
We certainly love hearing that. Assuming he’s TE1 come Week 1, we have a feeling Newton is going to love targeting this guy.
