{"id":870484,"date":"2026-04-20T07:22:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T07:22:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/870484\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T07:22:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T07:22:54","slug":"mccourty-twins-predict-what-patriots-should-target-in-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/870484\/","title":{"rendered":"McCourty twins predict what Patriots should target in NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNew England Patriots\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t“It\u2019s very hard if it\u2019s just Milton [Williams] and [Christian] Barmore in the middle.”<\/p>\n

\"In
\n\tDevin and Jason McCourty both think the Patriots need to bolster their pass-rushing corps. AP Photo\/Elise Amendola, File\t<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u200bBut, a pair of former Patriots believe that there\u2019s a clear need that Mike Vrabel, Eliot Wolf, and the rest of New England\u2019s top brass must address with the 31st pick in the upcoming draft.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cA dynamic pass rusher, somebody that dictates defense,\u201d Devin McCourty<\/a> told ESPN\u2019s Mike Reiss. It\u2019s very hard if it\u2019s just Milton [Williams] and [Christian] Barmore in the middle, and that\u2019s all you have to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u200bDevin McCourty\u2019s twin brother, Jason McCourty, agreed that New England needs to add some pass-rushing talent to its defense.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cEdge rusher is at the top of the list,\u201d Jason McCourty told Reiss. \u201cDre\u2019Mont Jones was a nice pickup; he\u2019s 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 \u2026 but not an elite pass rusher.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u200bEven if New England did bolster some of their defensive personnel up front by signing Dre\u2019Mont Jones to a three-year, $39 million contract, the Patriots also lost some of their pass-rushing talent this offseason, with K\u2019Lavon Chaisson inking a one-year, $12 million contract with the Washington Commanders.<\/p>\n

\u200bOnly six teams recorded fewer sacks than the Patriots (35.0) during the 2025 season.<\/p>\n

\u200bSpeaking last week, Wolf acknowledged that adding an edge rusher stands as one of the top priorities for New England in the coming days.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cYeah, we could complement our room with some speed. I think I think that\u2019s evident,\u201d Wolf said. Dre\u2019Mont 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.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200b\u201cYou know, Dre\u2019Mont\u2019s a guy that can play across the line, run games. I mean, he can sneakily beat you with speed, but that\u2019s probably not his bread and butter. And that\u2019s an area that we\u2019re looking, again, looking to try to improve the depth on the roster.\u201d\u200b<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Profile\t<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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

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