Patriots select Division II safety Kyle Dugger in 2nd round

BOSTON (AP) — After trading out of the first round on Day 1 of the NFL draft, the Patriots made a little history on Day 2.

New England selected safety Kyle Dugger out of Lenoir-Rhyne University in the second round (37th overall) Friday night. The Patriots’ pick marked the first time an NFL team has selected a Division II safety during the first three rounds since the Chicago Bears took Danieal Manning in the second round in 2006.

The Patriots traded the 23rd overall pick to the Chargers in the first round in exchange for the 37th and 71st picks.

A versatile defender and special teams player during his five-year career at the North Carolina school (enrollment 2,700), the 6-foot-1, 217-pound Dugger had 10 career interceptions and returned six punts for touchdowns.

The 24-year-old will compete for a spot on a Patriots secondary that has an opening after New England traded safety Duron Harmon to the Lions.

Dugger comes from a family of athletes. His mother, Kimberly Dugger, played basketball for Fort Valley State University in the 1980s and was inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame. His older brother, Patrick, played at Lagrange (Ga.) College from 2012 to 2014.