Lifelong Patriots fan Andrew Stueber 'couldn't be more thankful' to go home to New England
Former Michigan Wolverines football offensive lineman Andrew Stueber is headed home to be with familiar faces.
The Darien, Conn., native was selected by the New England Patriots with the No. 245 overall pick in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft, a relief for Stueber, who had a “stressful” day of waiting. It finally resulted in him being picked by the team he grew up rooting for and watching win Super Bowls.
“I think the best situation for me came with the Patriots obviously selecting me,” Stueber said. “It was a dream come true. I couldn’t be more thankful for them for giving me this opportunity. Obviously, it was a stressful day, but it was a happy ending, and that’s all you can ask for.”
In addition to being closer to family and friends, he’ll join five other former Michigan players with the organization — safety Jabrill Peppers, offensive lineman Michael Onwenu, linebacker Cam McGrone, kicker Quinn Nordin and outside linebacker Josh Uche.
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“That’s one thing I’m very excited to go to,” Stueber said. “I already know some of the guys there pretty closely. I played with them — obviously Mike, Cam, Josh Uche, Chase Winovich was there, he is no longer there, but they have spoken nothing but high things about the whole program.
“It’s exciting to kind of go there and know that I have former teammates and friends there who can help me kind of guide along. I think that’s the biggest thing, especially for an O-lineman is when you get there, you kind of start attached to the veteran guys and see how they work, how they operate, what their routine is like, and knowing a guy already going into it, I think it would help that transition.
“I’ll be able to ask them questions and kind of bounce off ideas and see how he does his business because obviously Mike has had such a great career so far and you know, he’s nothing but going upwards. And so, I think that’s a great person to kind of get behind and just see how he does his work, what his routines like and I’m just really looking forward to it.”
Onwenu has been moved around the Patriots’ offensive line — back and forth between guard and center — which is similar to how Stueber could be used. At Michigan, Stueber played both positions. He settled in at right tackle but has versatility, one of the things he stressed the most with teams in pre-draft interviews.
Stueber was a second-team American Football Coaches Association All-American in 2021, and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and third-team recognition from the media. He graded out as the fourth-best pass blocking tackle in the Big Ten, per Pro Football Focus (PFF), yielding just one sack and 11 pressures in 14 games of action.
“Versatility is the name of the game at the next level,” Stueber said. “If you’re able to play tackle or guard or even all three, you’re stock and you’re kind of how much the team values you definitely goes up just in terms of your versatility.
“Going to Michigan and being able to play almost every position except center, it really helped me. I’ve had exposure to a lot of these different positions and so, when I get there it’s really whatever spot the coach and the team wants to put me in that they think is the best position to make the team win.
“When I get there, I’m going to go in there with an open mind. I’m going to try and learn the playbook as best I can, as fast as I can at every position. Whatever position they want to play me at that they think will benefit the team the most and help us win games, I’ll be more than happy to get there.”
