McCourty twins give their take on what Patriots should target in NFL Draft

“It’s very hard if it’s just Milton [Williams] and [Christian] Barmore in the middle.”

Devin and Jason McCourty both think the Patriots need to bolster their pass-rushing corps. AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File

The 2026 NFL Draft is just a few days away, and the Patriots still have several holes to fill across their roster at this stage of the offseason.

Even after spending heavily in free agency once again last month, the Patriots could still use some upgrades at edge, wide receiver, tight end, tackle, and several other areas of their depth chart.

But, a pair of former Patriots believe that there’s a clear need that Mike Vrabel, Eliot Wolf, and the rest of New England’s top brass must address with the 31st pick in the upcoming draft.

“A dynamic pass rusher, somebody that dictates defense,” Devin McCourty told ESPN’s Mike Reiss. It’s very hard if it’s just Milton [Williams] and [Christian] Barmore in the middle, and that’s all you have to worry about.”

Devin McCourty’s twin brother, Jason McCourty, agreed that New England needs to add some pass-rushing talent to its defense.

“Edge rusher is at the top of the list,” Jason McCourty told Reiss. “Dre’Mont Jones was a nice pickup; he’s a two-way type player where he can get after the quarterback, but [is] just as good against the run and can kick inside on third down … but not an elite pass rusher.”

Even if New England did bolster some of their defensive personnel up front by signing Dre’Mont Jones to a three-year, $39 million contract, the Patriots also lost some of their pass-rushing talent this offseason, with K’Lavon Chaisson inking a one-year, $12 million contract with the Washington Commanders.

Only six teams recorded fewer sacks than the Patriots (35.0) during the 2025 season.

Speaking last week, Wolf acknowledged that adding an edge rusher stands as one of the top priorities for New England in the coming days.

“Yeah, we could complement our room with some speed. I think I think that’s evident,” Wolf said. Dre’Mont and Harold [Landry] and Elijah [Ponder] and some of the other guys we have, they all have their skill sets. We would like to get faster.

“You know, Dre’Mont’s a guy that can play across the line, run games. I mean, he can sneakily beat you with speed, but that’s probably not his bread and butter. And that’s an area that we’re looking, again, looking to try to improve the depth on the roster.”

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.

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