Patriots Take RB Sony Michel in 2018 NFL Draft Despite Knee Injury Concerns

The New England Patriots selected Georgia Bulldogs running back Sony Michel with the 31st overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft Thursday. 

Miami Hurricanes head coach Mark Richt, who coached Michel at Georgia, was happy to see the Bulldogs star off the board in the first round:

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted New England is assuming some risk with this choice:

Many thought the Patriots got great value late in the first round regardless:

"

#Patriots updated Skill-Position Group

QB Tom Brady / Brian Hoyer
RB Sony Michel / Rex Burkhead / James White
WR Julian Edelman
WR Chris Hogan
WR Cord Patt/ J Matt / C Patt
TE Rob Gronkowski

— Evan Silva (@evansilva) April 27, 2018"

Michel and fellow running back Nick Chubb would have almost certainly been selected in the 2017 draft if they had decided to forgo their senior years. But staying at Georgia for an extra season worked out pretty well—particularly for Michel.

Not only did he help the Bulldogs reach the College Football Playoff National Championship, but Michel also ran for a career-high 1,227 yards and 16 touchdowns. His 7.9 yards per carry were fifth-most in FBS.

Michel's best game came in Georgia's double-overtime victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Rose Bowl, which secured the Bulldogs a championship game berth. Michel ran for 181 yards and three touchdowns on just 11 carries, and he scored the game-winning touchdown in the second overtime period.

As good as Michel was in college, NFL Media's Lance Zierlein spoke to an AFC scout in November who believed the Bulldogs star will be even better in the pros. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller compared Michel to another player who did more with one year in the NFL than he did in two years at Tennessee:

Michel's college resume is clearly superior to that of Alvin Kamara, but Chubb's presence somewhat hindered Michel from hitting his ceiling with the Bulldogs.

Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson spoke to an anonymous NFL personnel member who listed everything Michel can do beyond his running abilities:

"He can pass block. You can be confident in that part of his game, which you can't say for most first-year [running backs]. He'll catch it. He didn't have to do that a lot [in 2017] but he can do it. Their coaches had that confidence in him. ... He's got the build for everything you'd want. He'll get you yards inside and out. He can be violent. He won't run anyone over [in the NFL], but he will drop his shoulder and attack. He's definitely isn’t afraid of contact."

Granted, there are plenty of valid reasons why Michel came off the board after Saquon Barkley. He doesn't have the same kind of big-play ability or the overall ceiling Barkley possesses, and he's not the punishing ball-carrier Guice is.

Barkley wasn't going to be a realistic option for the Patriots at this point in the draft, however.

In terms of overall value, Michel was a great selection to help New England strengthen its backfield this offseason.

The Patriots are a great landing spot for Michel.

New England re-signed James White for three years and $12 million but lost leading rusher Dion Lewis in the offseason. The team also took a flier on Jeremy Hill, who's exactly the kind of low-cost running back who could turn out to be a steal for the Patriots.

Still, Michel is the clear long-term option in the Patriots backfield.