Kyle Dugger is a free safety for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was born on March 22, 1996. He played collegiate football for Lenoir-Rhyne.
Dugger mainly played basketball at Whitewater High School; he didn’t start playing football until his senior year.
Three colleges that offered Dugger were Lenoir-Rhyne, an NCAA Division II school in North Carolina, Berry College, an NCAA Division III school, and Reinhardt University, an NAIA participant.
Dugger sat out his first season before taking over as the Bears’ starting cornerback right away. During his rookie season, he played cornerback while donning a redshirt, but an injury to his meniscus forced him to move positions before his sophomore campaign.
During his junior year, he recorded three interceptions and three fumble recoveries. Dugger competed in the 2020 Senior Bowl, where scouts commended his instincts while playing the game.
Dugger was expected to play safety, cornerback, or returner in the NFL due to his agility on the field. The New England Patriots selected Dugger with the 37th overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
He was chosen in that selection as the first player who had prior experience playing outside of Division I FBS. Week 6’s 29-35 overtime loss to the Cowboys featured Dugger’s first career interception of Cowboys QB Dak Prescott.
The next week, Dugger had his second straight game with a pick when he intercepted Jets quarterback Mike White in the 54-13 triumph.