The Patriots Rookie Spotlight is a daily series where I will go down the list and break down each of the 10 players taken in the 2019 NFL Draft. So far we have covered WR N’Keal Harry, DB Joejuan Williams, DE Chase Winovich, RB Damien Harris, and OT Yodny Cajuste. Today we will break down offensive guard Hjalte Froholdt.
Hjalte Froholdt was selected 118th overall by the Patriots in the fourth round. Froholdt was raised in Denmark and moved to the United States to attend the prestigious IMG Academy in Florida. Coming in at 6’5″, 306 lbs., Hjalte was drafted out of Arkansas. He was recruited as a Defensive End, but moved to the offensive line following his freshman season.
Accolades
Froholdt had an impressive career at Arkansas, a school known for having massive linemen. In 2017 Pro Football Focus named Hjalte as a First Team All-SEC guard. In 2018 he made the Second Team All-SEC squad. Froholdt saw 829 snaps as a pass-protector between 2017 and 2018, and did not allow a single sack. He finished his career with 2,446 snaps on the offensive line, 1,291 of which were in pass-protection and allowed only 3 sacks, all of which came in 2016. In his three years as an SEC lineman, Froholdt allowed a sack every 0.02% of snaps – pretty good! In 2017 he allowed just two quarterback hits and nine hurries all season.
Future With The Patriots
Hjalte Froholdt has the size and experience against top level competition to play in the NFL. He was a phenomenal pass blocker at Arkansas and was a solid run blocker as well. He played guard and center his senior year, giving the Patriots some added versatility. Froholdt is a raw prospect that should start the season as a backup interior lineman while Scarnecchia molds Hjalte into a finished product ready to dominate opposing interior rushers.
If you liked this article, check out some other installments of this series, where I covered first-round pick N’Keal Harry here, second-round pick Joejuan Williams here, third-round picks Chase Winovich, Damien Harris and Yodny Cajuste. Stayed tuned for my breakdown of QB Jarett Stidham tomorrow.
N’Keal Harry – Patriots Rookie Spotlight
Joejuan Williams – Patriots Rookie Spotlight
Chase Winovich – Patriots Rookie Spotlight