Kyle Dugger, Division II star at Lenoir-Rhyne, taken in NFL draft by Patriots

Lenoir-Rhyne defensive back Kyle Dugger was drafted by the New England Patriots with the 37th overall pick in the NFL draft.

Dugger, 6-feet, 217 pounds, won the Cliff Harris Award as the top defensive player among the nation’s small colleges last season. He’s the ninth player in Lenoir-Rhyne history to be drafted, the most recent being defensive end John Milem by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round in 2000.

Dugger had 237 career tackles, 10 interceptions, 36 pass break-ups, six forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, two blocked kicks and six punt-return touchdowns.

“Division II football, it definitely made me different,” Dugger told reporters Friday after being chosen by the Patriots. “The program wasn’t made to produce NFL players, so a lot of the things — if I wanted to get better, I would have to take it into my own hands as far as my work ethic, the way I approached myself, how I looked at myself on film, how I critiqued myself.”

He made the most of his pre-draft opportunities earlier this year, playing well in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., where he was the only Division II player invited. He was also impressive at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, where he ran a 4.49 40-yard dash, had the best vertical jump among safeties (42 inches) and the second-best broad jump (11 feet, 2 inches).

“I really had to go the extra mile and not just look at who I was playing against but kind of compare it to what I was trying to get to,” Dugger said of playing at Lenoir-Rhyne. “So I definitely developed some of the work ethic and things that I do off the field. The way I look at film, the detail I look at film with, how I critique myself — I definitely developed that side for me.”

Dugger was lightly recruited coming out of Fayetteville (Ga.) Whitewater High, where he didn’t start until his senior season. Lenoir-Rhyne, located in Hickory and a member of the South Atlantic Conference, was one of only a few schools to offer him a scholarship.

“As far as a chip, it’s definitely grown a mountain on my shoulder,” Dugger said. “That’s something that’s going to be permanent. I’m going to carry it throughout my career, as long as I have an opportunity to play the game.”

For more information on Kyle Dugger, read the Observer’s profile of him at the Senior Bowl.

This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 7:33 PM.