Patrick Chung was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round (34th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft.
2009 (8/0/0/0): Played in his first NFL game versus the Buffalo Bills (9/14) ... Led the team in special teams tackles once (vs. ATL) ... Recorded his first NFL interception, picking off a Vince Young pass in the Patriots' 59-0 whitewashing of the Tennessee Titans (10/18).
Buffalo (9/14): Made his NFL debut, playing in reserve on special teams punt and kickoff return units in the Patriots' 25-24 victory over the Bills ... Tied for the team lead with two special teams tackles. at N.Y. Jets (9/20): Played in reserve on special teams coverage and return units versus the Jets ... Made one special teams tackle. Atlanta (9/27): Played in reserve on special teams coverage and return units in the Patriots' 26-10 victory over the Falcons ... Led the team with three special teams tackles. Baltimore (10/4): Played in reserve on special teams coverage and return units in the Patriots' 27-21 win over the Ravens. at Denver (10/11): Saw action in reserve on special teams coverage and return units. Tennessee (10/18): Saw significant action in reserve at safety and on special teams coverage and return units as the Patriots tied the largest margin of victory by team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger with a 59-0 shutout over the Titans ... Nabbed his first NFL interception, picking off a Vince Young pass intended for Alge Crumpler in the fourth quarter ... Tallied four tackles (3 solo), along with one special teams tackle. at Tampa Bay (10/25): Played in reserve as the nickel back in the Patriots' 35-7 victory over the Buccaneers ... Notched his first career sack, dropping Josh Johnson for a 5-yard loss in the second quarter ... Registered a season high six tackles (5 solo). Miami (11/8): Saw significant action playing in reserve at safety in the Patriots' 27-17 win over the Dolphins ... Tallied a sack for the second straight game, dropping Chad Henne for an 8-yard loss in the first quarter ... Registered five tackles (3 solo).
One of the strongest defensive backs in college football, the Kingston, Jamaica native has been a mainstay and one of the few bright spots on Oregon's defensive unit. He holds the distinction of starting more games than any defensive player in school history, having never come off the bench during his 51-game career.
Chung evolved into an exceptional leader by mastering the mental aspects of the game and grasping an understanding of the team's defensive objectives. He closed out his career ranking fourth in school annals with 384 tackles and placed sixth on the Ducks' record charts with 26 pass deflections.
Considered to be the team's best defensive back since the Alex Molden era (1992-95), Chung has also set several impressive marks in the training room. He posted the program's second-best bench press (345 pounds) in the 2008 winter testing, in addition to producing the Ducks' fifth-best power clean lift (324 lbs.) of all time among players in the secondary.
Chung's family came to the United States during his childhood, settling in California, where he went on to star at Rancho Cucamonga High School. The two-time first-team All-Baseline League pick was rated among top 90 prospects in California by Super Prep magazine after helping lead the Cougars to a 7-4 record his senior year.
He excelled at wide receiver and free safety in 2003, finishing as his team's second-leading tackler, recording 74 tackles while coming up with nine receptions for 209 yards and two touchdowns. He posted eight or more tackles five times, including a season-high 12 vs. Alta Loma High during his final campaign. He also contributed two interceptions, forced two fumbles and recovered two others.
Chung enrolled at Oregon in 2004, learning the system while competing on the scout team. On that squad, he was named Defensive Player of the Week for his performances in practice before the Oklahoma, UCLA and Arizona contests.
In 2005, the youngster garnered considerable national attention. He was named Pac-10 Conference Defensive Freshman of the Year by The Sporting News, as the magazine also chose him for their Freshman All-American squad. He received the Len Casanova Award as the team's best newcomer and was an All-Pac 10 Conference honorable mention.
That year, Chung began his string of 51 consecutive starts, taking over at the Rover position. He ranked second on the team with 91 tackles (5 solos), as he caused a fumble and deflected five passes. He also had two interceptions and saw brief action as a kickoff returner. First stepping onto the collegiate practice field at the age of 16, he was difficult to pull off the field due to his insistence of playing on the majority of special teams in addition to the line of scrimmage.
With Chung firmly entrenched at Rover, the Ducks ranked 20th in the nation in pass defense for 2006. He was again named All-Pac 10 Conference honorable mention, as he finished third on the team with 84 tackles (49 solos) that included 3.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and two sacks. He picked off four passes and batted down five other tosses. He also handled the brunt of the punt return duties, averaging 12.1 yards on 14 attempts that included one touchdown.
As a junior, Chung was named second-team All-American and first-team All-Pac 10 Conference. He received the Gordon E. Wilson Award, given to the team's top special teams player. He averaged 22.3 yards on nine kickoff returns while leading the Ducks with a career-high 117 tackles (71 solos), adding 7.5 stops for loss. He broke up nine passes and was credited with a pair of interceptions.
Chung garnered third-team All-American accolades in addition to making the All-Pac 10 Conference first-team for the second consecutive year in 2008. Along with offensive lineman Max Unger, the pair set the school record with 51 consecutive starting assignments. He had 92 tackles (58 solos) in 13 games, coming up with two sacks among his 6.5 stops for loss. He caused and recovered a fumble, batted down seven passes and returned his only interception 31 yards for a touchdown.
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2008 - As the heart of the Oregon defense, the four-year starter and two-time first-team all-conference honoree continued his role as the defensive quarterback despite altering his responsibilities from rover to more of a free safety as the season wore on ... Foregoing an opportunity to enter the NFL Draft a year early, finished the regular season as team’s third-leading tackler (92) as well as program’s fourth-best tackler of all time (384) -- tops among non-linebackers ... Tallied a season-high 11 stops in the regular-season finale at Oregon State and contributed a trio of tackles-for-loss (14 yards) among his nine tackles at Washington State ... Returned an interception 31 yards against Arizona, the first “pick 6” of his collegiate career ... Also recovered a fumble this year vs. the Wildcats one week after forcing a loose football the previous week against Stanford ... The third-team All-America pick (Phil Steele Publications) set the tone early at Washington State as he was credited with eight tackles in the opening quarter ... Tied for second in the country in consecutive starts (51) ... First stepping onto the collegiate practice field at the age of 16, he was difficult to pull off the field due to his insistence of playing on the majority of special teams in addition to the line of scrimmage ... Oregon’s two-time special teams player of the year and first-team all-conference special teams honoree participated in more than 100 plays on four occasions, including 118 snaps vs. Purdue and Arizona ... Encountered his best season as a kick returner, averaging 25.6 yards per return ... Ran back four kickoffs for 107 yards vs. Boise State (26.8 avg.) as well as 62-yard returns on consecutive weeks against Boise State and Washington State ... Evolved into an exceptional leader by mastering the mental aspects of the game and grasping an understanding of the team’s defensive objectives ... One of Oregon strongest defensive backs, posted the program’s second-best bench press (345 lbs.) in 2008 winter testing, in addition to the Ducks’ fifth-best power clean lift (324 lbs.) of all time among players in the secondary.
2007 - The second-team All-America honoree (Associated Press) and Oregon’s top tackler posted more tackles than any other defensive back on the team in 13 years ... Extending his string of consecutive starting assignments to 38 games, he accumulated 57 tackles over his past six appearances ... Included was a career-high 15 stops against Arizona State while sharing the team lead in tackles on six occasions ... The first-team all-conference pick also intercepted passes vs. Houston and Stanford while forcing a fumble against Fresno State ... Honored as the Ducks’ outstanding special teams player (Gordon E. Wilson Award) following the conclusion of the regular season ... Remained on the field for 106 plays against Arizona State as he participated in better than 90 plays in seven games ... Blocked his first punts as a collegian against Houston and at Washington, and added the role as a kickoff returner in his final four games of the season, averaging 22.3 yards on nine returns ... .Included was a 40-yard runback at UCLA as well as a 32-yard return at Arizona.
2006 - Attracted honorable mention all-conference acclaim for the second year in a row as Oregon’s third-leading tackler helped stabilize a young secondary that completed the regular season ranked 10th in the country in pass defense ... Also finished as team’s runner-up in QB sacks in the secondary as well as second in interceptions ... Posted season-high 11 tackles at California and Washington State as he finished in double digits on three occasions, and was second on the team in stops in the bowl loss to BYU ... Secured interceptions vs. Fresno State, UCLA, Washington and BYU, in addition to recovering a fumble at Oregon State ... Lent a hand at fielding punts late in the season, returning the first attempt of his career 59 yards for a touchdown against Washington ... Finished the year averaging 12.1 yards on 14 returns (170 yards) ... The 13-game starter took part in more than 80 snaps in four games, led by 89 plays at Fresno State ... Received team’s special teams player-of-the-game plaudits for his performance against the Huskies.
2005 - Oregon’s second-leading tackler and top returnee not only garnered honorable mention all-Pacific-10 Conference acclaim as a rookie, he also earned first-team freshman All-America reviews by The Sporting News and Rivals.com ... Picked as the league’s defensive freshman of the year (The Sporting News), he led the team in tackles against Washington (11) and Washington State (9) while being credited in double figures on four occasions ... Included were 12 stops in post-season play vs. Oklahoma ... Yet no performance was better than equaling his collegiate-best 12 tackles vs. USC as he was named squad’s special teams player of the week ... Repeated the weekly honor vs. the Huskies, and earned team’s top defensive acclaim at Arizona State ... Intercepted passes against Washington and Arizona ... Also forced a fumble in Tucson ... Credited with a team-high 17 of his tackles on punt and kickoff coverage units ... Following the year, was the recipient of the school’s Len Casanova Award as the program’s top newcomer.
2004 - Earned scout team defensive player-of-the-week accolades for aiding preparations heading into Oklahoma game, as well as special teams plaudits vs. Arizona and UCLA.
The two-time first-team all-Baseline League pick rated among top 90 prospects in California by SuperPrep magazine after helping lead the Cougars to a 7-4 record his senior year ... Excelled at wide receiver and free safety in 2003 to rank as his team’s second-leading tackler, recording 74 tackles, nine receptions for 209 yards and two TDs ... Posted eight or more tackles five times, including a season-high 12 vs. Alta Loma ... Also contributed two interceptions, forced two fumbles and recovered two others.
Patrick Christopher Chung was born on Aug. 19, 1987 in Kingston, Jamaica to Sophia George-Chung and Ronald Chung ... Attended Rancho Cucamonga High School and excelled at wide receiver and free safety ... In 2003, recorded 74 tackles, nine receptions for 209 yards and two touchdowns ... Majored in political science at Oregon.
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