FOXBORO — The Patriots have rarely invested capital — especially of the high-end variety — when it comes to drafting running backs since coach Bill Belichick arrived in New England.


They’ve selected 10 running backs in the 19 drafts Belichick has presided over, only two in the first round. For comparison’s sake, the Patriots have drafted six defensive linemen in the first round since 2000.


The Patriots selected Laurence Maroney with the 21st [...]

By Rich Garven The Worcester Telegram & Gazette

FOXBORO — The Patriots have rarely invested capital — especially of the high-end variety — when it comes to drafting running backs since coach Bill Belichick arrived in New England.

They’ve selected 10 running backs in the 19 drafts Belichick has presided over, only two in the first round. For comparison’s sake, the Patriots have drafted six defensive linemen in the first round since 2000.

The Patriots selected Laurence Maroney with the 21st overall pick in 2006 and then surprised pigskin prognosticators by taking Sony Michel 31st last month.

The addition of the sturdy and speedy Michel to a veteran and versatile backfield surely must have excited Ivan Fears, who has coached the Patriots running backs since 2002. That may well be the case in August, but it certainly wasn’t the emotion he was feeling last week.

“Excited?” Fears said on Friday at Gillette Stadium. “I’ll let you know after we get through training camp.”

However, Fears is undeniably intrigued by the potential he saw while scouting and watching film of the 5-foot-11, 215-pound Michel run through and past top-flight competition during his four seasons at the University of Georgia.

“He’s a playmaker, man,” said Fears, who worked with Michel for the first time at the Patriots’ rookie minicamp over the weekend. “Whenever Georgia needed it, whenever they wanted to do something with a back at the end of a game, he was the guy who was touching that ball.”

Michel rushed for 1,227 yards in 14 games as a senior, marking the second time in three seasons he topped the 1K mark. What’s really impressive is he did it on just 156 carries.

Michel averaged 7.9 yards a carry, a figure that ranked fifth in the nation and first in the Southeastern Conference. He finished his career with an average of 6.2.

But perhaps no stat defines the playmaking ability of Michel better than this: 22 — or 14.1 percent — of his carries went for 15-plus yards. Although the NCAA is not the NFL, it’s still worth noting the Patriots had 16 runs of 15-plus yards as a team last season and 11 were by the departed Dion Lewis.

And Michel’s route to the second level on those chunk plays came on both runs between the tackles and after getting outside.

“He’s very physical for a guy who is really good in the open field,” Fears said. “Most of those (open-field) guys are scat-back types. He’s very productive in the open field and he’s also very productive inside because he has some stout to him.”

Michel, who was an All-American as a senior at American Heritage School in Plantation, Fla., is more than a runner. He’s a back with three-down potential.

Although he made only nine receptions as a senior, Michel caught 26 and 22 passes the previous two seasons. And unlike the majority of college running backs, he has experience as a pass blocker.

“Well, fortunately for us he was very successful in that area,” Fears said. “He did a great job for them. He’s a physical guy and he’s a tough guy, so we just have to teach him who to block. We get him on the right guy, I think he’ll do a good job blocking. I really do.”

Whether Michel plays on first, second or third down will ultimately be determined by his ability to hold onto the football. Ball security is a legitimate concern entering the NFL.

Michel fumbled a whopping 12 times at Georgia. His fumble rate of once every 54.6 touches is more than double the average of 124.5 for pro running back prospects, per nfldraftscout.com.

So how do the Patriots get Michel to understand the importance of ball security when the Bulldogs failed to do so? By taking away his playing time he if gives away the ball.

“He has to figure out this is the most important thing he does,” Fears said. “He has to figure that out and he has to get that message. I don’t care how you do it, he has to get that message.

“When he gets that message, he’s going to play (and) he’s going to hold onto that ball. If he’s not going to hold onto that ball, he can’t play for us. We can’t have that.”

And that, ultimately, will determine whether the Patriots’ high-end investment pays off.