Froholdt realizes dream, drafted in fourth round by New England

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas offensive lineman Hjlate Froholdt was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round with the 118th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft on Saturday.

Former Hogs coach Bret Bielema, who recruited Froholdt to Fayetteville, is on the Patriots’ staff as an assistant to coach Bill Belichick.

He is the 10th Razorback taken by the Patriots and the 269th Arkansas football player drafted since the first in 1938. At least one Razorback has been picked in each of the last 24 years of the NFL Draft, which ranks fourth in the SEC.

A native of Svendborg, Denmark, Froholdt is the first position player and second-ever Danish player to be drafted by an NFL squad.

His selection marks back-to-back years a Razorback lineman has been taken in the draft and the third time in four seasons, joining center Frank Ragnow who was the 20th overall pick of the first round by Detroit in 2018.

In February, Froholdt became the first Danish player invited to the NFL Combine after wrapping a four-year career on the Hill.

After transitioning from defensive line to the offensive trenches, Froholdt became a mainstay for Arkansas, participating in 2,501 snaps over 44 games as a Razorback.

He put together an impressive streak of 1,291 snaps in pass protection without a sack allowed, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), which began in 2016 and ran through the entirety of the 2017 and 2018 campaigns.

Froholdt earned an 88.6 season rating from PFF in pass blocking for his 2018 performance, posting grades over 80.0 in eight of 12 games with a season-best of 90.2 at Mississippi State on Nov. 17.

The 2018 season marked his first playing multiple positions on the offensive line, seeing 260 snaps at center and several in the right guard spot, along with his 542 plays at his primary slot at left guard.