Georgia connection pumps Andrews
FOXBORO — David Andrews just wanted to go to bed.
It was the first night of the NFL draft last month, and the Patriots center was watching when his team picked his former Georgia linemate, Isaiah Wynn, with the 23rd overall pick.
At that point, Andrews passed out while his wife watched the rest of the first round. Little did Andrews know that the Pats would draft another of his former college teammates, running back Sony Michel, with the 31st pick.
“She came busting in the room about Sony getting drafted, and at that point I didn’t really care, I was just trying to get to sleep,” Andrews joked.
Andrews was excited, though, the next day when Wynn and Michel made their way to Foxboro.
“It was really awesome to see,” Andrews said. “I remember when those guys came in and saw them get to do their journey there and now get to see this year for them. It will be fun. They’re some good guys, they work hard, so I’m happy for them and very excited.”
Andrews was a senior at Georgia in 2014 when Wynn and Michel were freshmen, so he saw firsthand the work they put in that eventually made them first-round picks.
Andrews played next to Wynn, who was at guard during his freshman season. He certainly saw signs of first-round potential.
“Over the years watching him, I thought he was just very gifted. It just came natural to him from what I saw,” Andrews said. “I’m no scout or coach, but I just always thought he was a really good player. Isaiah’s got a great spirit, a great smile, he’s just laughing having fun, but he’s very good at knowing when it’s time to go to work. You could see that when he was a freshman.”
Wynn and Michel are the latest additions to a growing list of Georgia alumni to join the Patriots. Andrews signed as an undrafted free agent in 2015 and wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell was drafted in 2016. Former Bulldogs defensive tackle John Atkins was also signed as a free agent after this year’s draft.
Andrews wasn’t sure if there is one thing that’s attracted the Patriots to former Georgia players, but he knows he likes them as teammates, and Wynn and Michel are no different.
“I think those are some great guys, they all work really hard,” Andrews said. “They’ve been great teammates to me, so that’s something you can always respect and it’s guys like that you love having in your locker room and playing with.”
Going into his fourth season, Andrews is a veteran presence on an offensive line that’s going through some transition with the loss of left tackle Nate Solder.
Andrews said the departure of Solder, “a guy I looked up to and learned a lot from in the time I was here,” was tough, but he noted that there’s still enough continuity and experience on the line that should help. The middle of the line, with Joe Thuney at left guard, Andrews at center and Shaq Mason at right guard, figures to be the same.
“It’s part of that dependability as a group, and we’re building that right now,” Andrews said. “But we have a lot of guys that have played football here for a while, so they know what to do, they know how to do it, so when that comes up, you try to keep it as not a bumpy road or transition. It’s smooth, it flows because they know the terminology, they’ve had reps at it, so when you get up there, it’s just communicating.
“So that does help a lot. We’ve had a lot of guys who have been here and know the system, and we do have some new guys, and it’s our job to bring them along and get them comfortable and build that trust and dependability among the group.”