Pro Bowl running back reflects on not getting drafted by Patriots in 2018

"I’m on the group text with my guys like: Mannnn, y’all going to Foxborough with Tom and Bill...”

Nick Chubb has established himself as one of the top running backs in the NFL, earning four Pro Bowl nods during his seven seasons with the Browns.

But even with his stacked stat line (48 rushing touchdowns, four 1,000-yard rushing seasons), Chubb was still passed over by most of the league at the start of the 2018 NFL Draft — including the Patriots.

To further twist the knife, the eventual second-round pick (No. 35 overall) out of Georgia saw two of his collegiate teammates get selected by New England in the first round.

The Patriots held both the 23rd and 31st pick in the first round of that draft, with New England opting to draft Bulldogs tackle Isaiah Wynn and running back Sony Michel with those selections.

The Baltimore Ravens took two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson just one pick (32nd overall) after Michel went off the board by New England, while the Browns took Chubb just a few selections later.

Even though Chubb quickly hit the ground running with Cleveland, he admitted in a recent post on The Players’ Tribune that he was disappointed to see the Patriots overlook him as they drafted Wynn and Michel on draft night.

“When I slipped into the second round, it was so crazy because it wasn’t just that I slipped — it was that my dog, my roommate Sony ended up getting drafted by the Patriots in the first round, and of course I was super happy for him,” Chubb noted. “But then my other dog, our roommate Isaiah Wynn, he gets picked by New England, too.

“So I’m sitting there with my family at a Buffalo Wild Wings, and everybody’s trying to put on their game face and not act all disappointed, and I’m on the group text with my guys like: Mannnn, y’all going to Foxborough with Tom [Brady] and Bill [Belichick]…..”

While Chubb quickly established himself as a franchise back with the Browns, the returns were more mixed for Michel and Wynn in New England.

Michel only played three seasons in New England before getting traded to the Rams before the 2021 season. The running back made the most of his rookie season, scoring six touchdowns and posting 931 rushing yards over 13 games.

Michel saved his best for the playoffs, averaging 112.0 yards per game and scoring six touchdowns over three playoff appearances during New England’s run to a sixth Super Bowl title in 2018. He scored the Patriots’ lone touchdown during the team’s 13-3 win over the Rams in Super Bowl LIII.

Wynn played four seasons in New England, primarily slotting in at left tackle. But he struggled to live up to his potential as a franchise fixture on the offensive line, with New England eventually letting him walk in free agency after the 2022 season.

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.