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The first member of the defending Sun Belt champions selected in the 2023 NFL Draft was the Trojans’ center: Jake Andrews. The New England Patriots selected Andrews with the fifth pick of the fourth round, the 107th selection overall.
We like an Andrews at center!
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) April 29, 2023
Welcome to the Patriots, @jakeandrews55. pic.twitter.com/NEtdj6K5OF
ESPN’s Steve Muench describes Andrews as “a mauler who blocks to the whistle, is smooth getting set and has the strength to anchor against bull-rushers in pass protection.”
Andrews is 6’3” and 305 pounds. Andrews was a three-year starter for the Trojans, playing the first two years as a full-time guard. He transitioned to the center position full-time prior to the 2022 season, his redshirt senior campaign. Andrews played three different offensive line positions throughout his college career, which is highly attractive to NFL clubs. It’s not unlikely that the Patriots give him the opportunity to play guard at the pro level.
Prior to the draft, Troy head coach Jon Sumrall told the Troy Messenger “It couldn’t happen to a better person. When you work extremely hard, you’re ridiculously selfless and a great teammate on top of being a fairly talented, good things happen.”
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