Kyle Dugger (born March 22, 1996) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly dif ...

for the New England Patriots of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played college football at Lenoir–Rhyne.

High school career

Primarily playing basketball at Whitewater High School, Dugger did not start on the football team until his senior year. Lenoir–Rhyne, an

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

program in North Carolina, was one of three schools that offered Dugger, along with

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their st ...

member Berry College and NAIA member

Reinhardt University Reinhardt University is a private university in Waleska, Georgia. The university has an off-campus center in Alpharetta and offers some programs in Cartersville, Marietta, and Canton, and online. Reinhardt is affiliated with the United Methodi ...

College career

After redshirting his freshman year, Dugger became an immediate starter in the Bears secondary his redshirt freshman year. He played cornerback during his redshirt freshman season but switched to safety before his sophomore season, which he also redshirted due to a meniscus injury. He recorded three interceptions and three fumble recoveries during his junior season. Dugger utilized his athleticism during his senior year, at one point returning two punts for touchdowns within a seven-minute span against Virginia–Wise. For his play in his senior season, Dugger was awarded the Cliff Harris Award in 2019, given to the best small-school defensive player. Dugger also participated in the

2020 Senior Bowl The 2020 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game played on January 25, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. CST, at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. The game featured prospects for the 2020 draft of the professional National Fo ...

, where scouts praised his field instincts. Scouts praised Dugger for his speed on the field, projecting him at either safety, cornerback or returner in the NFL.

Professional career

Dugger was drafted by the New England Patriots with the 37th pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He was the first player chosen in that draft who played outside

Division I FBS The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). A ...

2021

In Week 6, Dugger recorded his first career interception off of

Cowboys A cowboy is a professional pastoralist or mounted livestock herder, usually from the Americas or Australia. Cowboy(s) or The Cowboy(s) may also refer to: Film and television * ''Cowboy'' (1958 film), starring Glenn Ford * ''Cowboy'' (1966 film), ...

’ QB

Dak Prescott Rayne Dakota Prescott (born July 29, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Mississippi State, where he twice received first-team All- SEC honors, a ...

during the 29–35 overtime loss. The next week, Dugger recorded his second straight game with a pick, intercepting Jets’ quarterback Mike White in the 54–13 win. He finished the season with 92 tackles, five passes defensed, and four interceptions.

2022

In Week 17, Dugger intercepted a pass from

Teddy Bridgewater Theodore Edmond Bridgewater Jr. (born November 10, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Born and raised in Miami, Florida, he graduated from Miami Northwestern high school ...

and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown in a 23-21 win over the Dolphins, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week. He led the league with three defensive touchdowns (two interceptions, one fumble recovery), and finished second on the team with 78 tackles.

References

External links

Lenoir–Rhyne Bears bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dugger, Kyle 1996 births Living people Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Fayetteville, Georgia American football safeties Lenoir–Rhyne Bears football players New England Patriots players