After making the jump from DII to the NFL, Kyle Dugger continues to evolve for the Patriots

FOXBORO — Kyle Dugger hasn’t kept track of the hours spent watching film. The truth is it’s probably more than you’d think.

“I couldn’t even count,” said Dugger. “It’s a ton.”

In 2020, Dugger came to the Patriots with a rare blend of athleticism. He’s quick enough to cover tight ends as a safety, strong enough to play linebacker and skilled enough to return punts and kickoffs. The rookie of three seasons ago, however, no longer exists. That’s because Dugger doesn’t solely rely on his athletic traits anymore. Instead, the Division-II prospect from Lenoir-Rhyne knows what to expect in practice and on game day thanks to his evolved study habits.

During the offseason, he re-watched every Patriots game from last season. At first, he’d focus on himself, writing down in a notebook every mistake he saw. Whether it was his technique, coverage or instincts, Dugger dissected everything about his game.

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When that was over, he watched old Patriots games solely to focus on Devin McCourty. How did he react to a certain play? How did he do it differently?

Then he put on game film to focus on Adrian Phillips. After that, he watched film of Patriots linebackers since he plays in the box on certain snaps.

With each play, Dugger jotted down his thoughts.

“It’s a ton of hours,” Dugger said. “I know for a fact it’s definitely helping, but I’d definitely say I’ve put in a lot of time and will continue to put in a lot of film study.

“Every day, there’s always going to be something as long as I’m able to play at this level, have the opportunity to play at this level. I’m always going to have something I can fix, something I can get better at. So, I’ll definitely take a lot of notes on everything. Try to be more critical than the coaches and, if I’m not, I feel like I’m doing something wrong.”

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Coming off the best season of his career, Dugger has a new outlook on the game of football. This 26-year-old is in position to be one of the best defensive players on the Patriots.

Learning from the veterans

A big difference for a player going from college to the NFL is the schedule. Although the team has players on a regimented schedule, there’s actually a lot more free time since there are no classes or exams. It’s up to rookies to create a routine that benefits them and their development. It’s a time when players like Dugger find out they have lots of time to watch more film on their own.

Players aren’t required to dive into every snap they played or spend hours watching tape on the opposing teammate. Sure, there are team meetings during which they dive into the game plan or what went right or wrong at practice. But if someone wants to get ahead, he needs to study on his own.

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For Dugger, the key to unlocking his potential has been in the film room.

“There are some situations I look back and like it was so foreign to me,” Dugger said. “And now, I’m in the perfect spot just because it’s off of recognition even if I’m not as locked in as I need to be. A lot of times, it’s the repetition at practice and seeing it before will allow me to be in the spots or put me in position to make a play. I think that helps.”

For Dugger, it wasn’t just watching film, but learning how to dissect each play. For this process, he leaned on fellow Patriots safeties McCourty (now in year 13) and Phillips (year 9).

When Dugger was a rookie, the first thing Phillips noticed was how many questions the young safety asked. The veteran could tell that Dugger really cared about improving his skill set. Three years later, Phillips sees the result.

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“I’ve seen him grow a lot," Phillis said. "When he came in, you already knew he was smart. He was picking up on stuff a little bit, but you don’t really know how to watch film in the league. It’s different in college. It’s like your coaches walk you through and tell you whatever to watch. In the league, it’s really on your own. For him, he asks questions with me and Dev and picks our brains on stuff.

“He’s been a guy who’s willing to learn. You can tell he cares about it. The fact that you see he cares about it is one of the main reasons you see the growth. It matters to him. It shows with his play on the field.”

Dugger staying focused

For someone who came to the NFL from a Division-II program, then dealt with a shortened rookie offseason due to COVID-19, Dugger still managed to help the Patriots in his first season. Last year, he took it to new heights, registering 92 tackles to go with four interceptions.

This season, Dugger is in line to make an even bigger impact. McCourty (age 35) and Phillips (30) are the de facto leaders of the secondary, but Dugger has reached a point where he could be the best player on the field for the defense. He's arguably the most athletic player. Now, he steps on the field as a more cerebral player.

“I think the biggest thing for me has been trusting the whole process,” Dugger said. “Making sure I’m keeping focused on what’s important as far as doing everything that I can to be the best version of myself for the defense. Trusting my teammates and kind of allowing them to push me in a way that I can work off of them — if that makes sense.

“Kind of having a better feel, being more comfortable up there with them discovering tendencies and seeing what I need to do on that play, what I need to do on this defense, how I can help first level, second level, third level of the defense. Things like that. Trying to make things right for the defense.”

With the Patriots regular-season opener a week away, Dugger has grown more confident in his abilities but continues to stay level-headed. There’s a part of him that will always be that Division-II player who is still trying to make it in the NFL. That kind of work ethic is part of the reason why the Patriots drafted him in 2020.

As far as personal aspirations, Dugger refuses to set statistical goals and instead focuses on his health. He knows if he stays on the field, he will continue to improve.

“I mainly focus on staying healthy and letting everything else take care of itself,” Dugger said.  “I really try to focus on the discipline part of things — film study, being consistent with my stretches, putting in the work to keep my body healthy and just see what will happen if I do everything right like that.”

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Patriots safety Kyle Dugger: From DII Lenoir-Rhyne to NFL starter