The Patriots have used the first-round pick they acquired in Thursday night’s trade down with the Cowboys to select Rutgers cornerback Devin McCourty with the 27th overall pick.
Considering the talent left on the board at need areas for New England (Jared Odrick, Sergio Kindle, Jerry Hughes) and the Pats’ religious use of early picks on corners in recent years, the selection is a surprise.
McCourty, though, is an immediate impact special teamer (seven blocked kicks in college, one return touchdown in ’09), with 4.41 speed at a rock-solid 5-foot-11 and 192 pounds.
Also a willing tackler — if lacking elite ball skills — he’ll most likely battle for time in sub-packages on defense as a rookie.
Terrible pick. Pats have been drafting bad in recent years.
what a terrible pick they need a pass rusher n a wr dez bryant was sittin there at 24 n they pass on him i wouldve been happier if the pats traded out of the first round what a disaster
Something tells me the Pats arent going to live down giving Dez Bryant to the Cowboys for this Rutgers CB.
I’d say Pats fans are quite disappointed with this. A lot of us wanted Dez Bryant at 24 and are pretty unhappy with the second trade down.
yeah, they blew it…they’re just doomed to never have a good pass D. should have gone for Kindle
WHO?????????????????????????????????????? look at there games…… a top 10 pick next year ….. 4&12 next year garenteed watch
are you kidding me???? I waited up to see this??? Bob Kraft is becoming Jeremy Jacobs and Bill Belichick is becoming Harry Sinden before my eyes! Do they remember what it was like in the 80’s when Foxboro was a ghost town? Un Friggin Believable. I am not a “SCOUT” but I can tell that this dude is not a first round talent. If they were going to go DB then they should have went Taylor Mays. This SUCKS!
Can’t wait to see B-Marsh stiff arm this guy. Nice selection…
belichick is going to unveil the half-dollar defensive package next year. 11 defensive backs. awesome
Pats need to stop being scared of taking risks. Dez Bryant was theirs for the taking and they BLEW IT.
I had him going in the second round, but I heard on another site that the Jets would have taken him if we hadn’t and I also read this.
Devin McCourty was certainly not the pick that many expected the Patriots to make in the first round. However, looking at his body of work, it is not a bad selection.
McCourty falls into the Patriots’ perameters for a cornerback. At 5 foot 11 and weighing in at 193 pounds, McCourty is of average height but also has really great feet. He ran the fastest 40 out of cornerbacks expected to be drafted in the first couple of rounds (a 4.3, and he also ran the fastest shuttle and cone times out of comparable athletes. Kyle Wilson? Patrick Robinson? Kareem Jackson? Joe Haden? McCourty bested them all. His ball skills are decent (5 career interceptions) but he also brings added value as a special teamer. He is a phenomenal return man and will provide a spark that the Patriots have not had on special teams since Bethel Johnson.
Cornerback wise, I think this may signal the end for Shawn Springs and possibly Terrence Wheatley as well. Taking cornerbacks so early in the draft in back-to-back years probably pushes him down the depth chart even further. This also gives the Patriots a very good top four cornerback rotation in Leigh Bodden, Darius Butler, McCourty and Jonathan Wilhite. The NFL is becoming more pass-heavy, and that is clearly indicative with the rash of new wide receivers in the AFC East. McCourty gives the Patriots three legitimate (potential) number one cornerbacks in a league where that may be necessary. I think that a Butler/McCourty combination could be deadly for years, especially since, in terms of size-weight-speed-skillset, to current stud Darrelle Revis.
The Patriots also have Slater on special teams so I wonder if he is on the outs.
*MOSS LAST YEAR OF CONTRACT
*WELKER INJURED
*DAVID PATTEN IS LIKE 35*
*HOLT IS LIKE 37
AND EDLEMEN AND AIKEN AND WE GET DEVIN 1ST ROUND???????ARE U SERIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!AND WE HAD A CHANCE TO GET BRYANT BUT NOO WE GET A 3RD ROUNDER(90)………BILL CAN SUCK IT..I WISH PIOLI AND MACDANIELS WERE STILL HERE…AND ROMEO WITH WISE..BELLICHICK IS A MORON
# 24 for a 27 and a 4th rd(90) wtf dez was there instead of getting younger they keep getting old IN BILL WE TRUST ha ha ha ha now thats a joke
You have to understand where Bill is coming from. He likes symmetry and he’s taken the Patriots to 4 Superbowls, (won 3, of course). He’s been there and done that, and after flirting with the perfect season 2 years ago, he wants to go the other way and flirt with a different kind of perfect season. If the team would only cooperate, he could have the top selection in every round for the next 3 years, he’d be ecstatic. Of course, he’d still f*** up his draft picks like a moron, desperately trying to prove how “innovative” he is.
I hate this. WHY did they pass on Bryant? WHY? If they didn’t want him, trade out of the first completely, do SOMETHING, don’t just throw a dart at the wall and hope to get lucky. The Patriots NEEDED a receiver, and thanks to that retarded pick, they still do. No pass rusher, the secondary is the youngest part of the team, we need to …. upgrade it with guy who is known for contributions to special teams….. Brilliant. I guess Bill is trying to be the new and unimproved Al Davis. At least Al’s pick made sense this year.
you people are hysterical. why is that none of you are working for an nfl team? your prob the same people who wanted to draft david tyrell over richard seymour. plenty of talent still out there. and if you look at the moves the other teams in the division have made, (marshall and holmes) not to mention the colts, you have to have people to cover them. hopefully this kid butler and merriweather can solidify the secondary for years to come. in belicheck we trust!
The football intelligence on this forum is definitely coming out. Sure…would Bryant have been sexy??? Sure….but from all of the games I have seen, we have been burnt by a secondary that could actually make some plays. The Pats have 3 seconds, a 3rd and a total of 13 picks to add offense power and pieces to the defense. Just maybe….we do not have the inside information that the Pats front office has on these players….just maybe…..
Am I jumping for joy with this pick….no, but I am also not jumping off any bridges either. Lets make final judgement once the completed draft is done and the entire focus is in view.
Actually a good pick. I still would have rather had Kindle in this spot, but this guy is definitely a value pick. While I think conventional wisdom on this guy says nickle packages and special teams to start, my guess is they see something that turns this guy into a starter by season’s end.
horrible pick.we could have had Bryant or Odrick instead we get a special teamer. horrible pick, Please come back Pioli
Not the kind of pick for Pats fans to get excited about when it seems like the Pats may not be the top dog in the division anymore. I get it, Wilhite and Wheatley both suck, so this is not an insane pick, just not one you’d renew season tickets over. You can’t judge a draft on just one pick, but it was a quiet start.
Pats got burnt, HARD last year in the secondary. They still need a dominating DE, but a decent CB that Bill can teach is a start. For all we know they just drafted the next Ty Law.
We were also burnt by the worst pass rush, which left the little guys EXPOSED way too often.
Moss is gone after this year, hopefully welker can play 8 games with at least decent skill, other than that they have WHO exactly?
Edleman?- OK- good START, lets see if he can progress AND stay healthy for more than 4 games.
Tate? Yeah sure…..pfffffffft
Patten? Old
Holt? Old- May have a decent year or 2 left as a WR3
Aiken? I’d like to see Aiken on the unemployment line, right next to that other BUM Wheatley
Stanback? Please, come on this is getting ridiculous.
Bill keeps trying to prove to everyone that he’s smarter than them, and it’s pretty obvious to anyone that’s been paying attention that he’s NOT as smart as he thinks, and I wish he would stop trying to Polish a turd.
Hey Bill- A turd is a Turd is a Turd- get real, and draft REAL players.
Man, this is pathetic.
In Bill I trust. And always will.
who knows what sort of career Dez Bryant will have, but even after adding Haden at 7, I can tell you myself and alot of other Browns fans were dyin for this guy to drop to the top of round 2. And don’t forget, we had Leigh Bodden for a few years, you Pats fans will be happier with McCourty……………………..
dont worry pats fans the niners will probly cut ted ginn during training camp you guys can go after him
I hate this pick
hey muzz,
Why are you not working for an NFL team? And how do you know that Bill Belichick is just trying to prove that he’s smarter than everyone? Has he told you that? Or are you just making some stupid uninformed judgement on things you don’t really know about?
Honestly muzz, man up and answer those questions, why are you seriously not working for an NFL team?
At first I was upset about this pick. Dez would have been nice, but defense is more important right now. Everyone was thinking pass rush with the first pick because it seems to be the biggest need, so why did the Pats pick a CB?
The answer is in the off season. The Jets and Miami are both gunning for the Pats, as they should be. Are they doing this by adding protection to the qb? Nope, they added high profile pass catchers. Why? Because the Pats have a tendency to get burned by the pass. Two reasons. The first is the pass rush, and the second is the corners.
Now look at the draft. It is simply FULL of pass rushers and running backs. Good corners not so much. So BB takes a corner (that the Jets wanted btw) in the first, knowing that there will be pass rush help throughout the second round and into the third.
They are in a position to move up and get Kindle if they want, or they can sit tight and add an OLB and a DE, as well as either a TE, WR, or RB in the second. Then they have a good third round pick to pick up what they didn’t in two. The rest of the draft they can pick up the hidden talenty they like in all sorts of places.
Face it, we simply do not know the state of the Pats or the players, including the rooks. Any number of reasons not to pick someone that we do not know about. We have no idea how far along Welker is, or Tate for that matter.
So come to think about it, they may be picking smarter than we realize. Only when the draft is done, and really the season is going, will we know for sure if they did well.
Still available is Kindle, Tate, and a plethora of running backs. For that matter there are still a good number of OLB and ends in this draft. This is a deep draft. It isn’t about picking the best first round talent. Instead it is about maximizing the picks and setting yourself up to fill ALL your needs in the best manner possible.
Devin McCourty….
Not a name I am familiar with…..but prior to a few weeks ago I hadn’t heard of more than a dozen “studs” that everyone was talking about.
A lot of the trolls on here like to take shots at Pats fans for being supposed bandwagon jumpers…well, if you want to single out the bandwagoneers, just look at the supposed Pats fans bailing above!! I’m not saying that BB is always right…and I understand that he, like every other NFL brainiac makes more mistakes than successes, but REALLY….these anonymous posters are more qualified than the entire Pats scouting department???
I would have liked for them to draft Dez Bryant…but who am I? What do I know? What I know is that Bill Belichick and his staff are far more qualified than I am to assess NFL talent!! And, you know what, if he is proven wrong, I can live with it!! Every team strives for perfection…but few, if any, accomplish it!! It is unreasonable and ignorant to expect ANY team to win it all…..you can hope for it, crave it….but I’m not one that thinks anything less than a Superbowl championship is a failure…..that’s just stoopid!!!
I’ll live with what the Pat’s braintrust decided on…and if they are proven wrong….oh well!!!
It’s continuous picks like this that have the Patriots going from Dynasty, to Dumpster bound.
They have wasted many top picks the past few years on CBs and Safeties… to spend another 1st round pick on a CB, when they have so many other needs, and so much other talent was available speaks worlds about BB being near the end of his time in New England.
muzz,
seriously….who the f*ck are you? If you are such a genius (sp?)…..identify yourself and tell us who they should draft…in what rounds…and open yourself up for criticism!! Easy to be an anonymous poster, shitting on others…..tell us, oh wise one, EXACTLY what a non pathetic football expert should do…………
If your response to the Devin McCourty selection is “who??” then are in no position to complain about any picks the Pats make. Guy was projected by many to go as early as Philadelphia’s pick. I’d be willing to be the majority of you haven’t watched a Rutgers game in your life, and if you have…you can’t even see corner-play on TV anyway. You really want Wilhite going against some of these deep receiving corps? I don’t.
Dez Bryant?! Are you guys nuts?!
Let me break this down for all of you with one name… AL DAVIS.
With Oakland’s first round pick in 2011 the Patriots are likely to land either AJ Green, Michael Floyd, or Julio Jones (unless he continues to show the stone-hands of his sophomore year).
All three of those receivers are better prospects than Bryant, not to mention the talent that will still be available in the second round.
McCourty was a pick that the Patriots needed to make due to Marshall and Holmes coming into the AFC East… and a smart one. He will step into nickel and dimes immediately along with doing returns, something Welker was responsible for but obviously won’t be doing soon.
The Jets had mcourty rated as 2nd rd pick!
They stuck to BPA method & argubly the best rated CB in the entire draft fall to them @ 29.
Please Tell who in the hell is going to pass on the jets this season.( Revis, Cromartie & Wilson).
Oh, By the way he was the best punt returner in college football last year.
This was one of the worst picks for BB in his entire regime!!
love all the guys saying “terrible pick”. Guess thats why they are posting comments on some cheap website and BB is getting paid the big bucks.
Whats up with all the armchair experts?
Dez Bryant is a waste of a 1st rounder for the Pats. I don’t know much about the guy they drafted as he’s not been a heavily touted talent in the lead-up. Forget the sexy pick, there are massive holes on the D and they will be addressed this offseason. The AFC East is going to the air and last year was a lowpoint defending the pass, without these additional considerations.
I’d love to see Golden Tate go to them in the second round as he appears to me to be a playmaker ready to explode. Also a tailback with some pace to bounce outside would be beneficial.
They are loaded with picks now and it does appear to be a deep draft.
Belichek’s got to go. This will be his last year as head coach of the Patroits…as they will miss the playoffs. In Bill We Trust…not any more!
I’m a Pats fan, and I really don’t like this pick. I’m not as delusional as the rest of these ass-clowns that actually think they know what they’re talking about, but I really would have liked to see them grab Jerry Hughes or Odrick. I think they have a shot to get Kindle in the 2nd, and maybe that is their plan, but Kyle Wilson played in a scheme where his coverage skills were featured, and while McCourty is more athletic, you need a cover guy when you can’t rush the passer. I trust Belichick though (three rings/insert spygate joke here). I know that there are people that just hate the Pats, and I get it, but I feel like some of you ACTUALLY think you know something that NFL scouts do not. Too funny.
The patriots are deliberately tanking. They already have the #2 pick in the draft next year (Oakland’s) so they are trying to get the #1 overall too. Of course, if there are any explosive, impact playmakers available at those picks they will immediately trade the picks away to get some “value players” like Ron Brace, Terrance Wheatley, Chad Jackson or a host of other complete busts.
Not happy with this pick, kid could be great but still they NEED a pass rusher. Deion Sanders and Daryl Green cannot cover anyone if the QB has 10 seconds to throw the ball.
For all those hating on this pick, I just have to remind you of a couple of late 1st round picks for which the Pats were crucified for: Logan Mankins and Brandon Meriweather (Both Pro Bowlers)
Most if not all “experts” were questioning BB’s sanity with each pick. Mankins blossomed from the start where as it took Meriweather 3 years to grasp the Pats defense.
In the end all I say is wait at least 3 years be allowed to pass before making judgment on this pick or any pick by any franchise before deciding whether the player was a bust or not.
Love the haters on this pick. For all you “experts” you dont draft NEED in first round. Plus can u really be comfertable with Leigh Bodden, Darius Butler and Shawn Springs. Darius is improving but he is definatly not starter potential just yet. Leigh Bodden got 3 of his 5 ints off of a rookie QB last season, so to me, he is way overrated. Jared Odrick wouldnt fit our scheme according to some analysts and Dez Bryant just looks so good because of all the other receivers in this draft. They didnt go after Sergio Kindle because of medical concerns, but i would like to see them move up in the second to grab him. Also, Jerry Hughes is too small for the type of linebacker they want.
So “experts” you tell me how the pats will cover Marshall, Holmes, Edwards, Cotchery, Evans next season if all we have 3 or 4 decent at best corners.
Well I am glad some of you bandwagoners are jumping off, maybe I can get back to the stadium to watch my team…
Friggin’ wine and cheesers here have no clue what they are talking about…”They waste picks year after year on CBs and Safetys”, “BB needs to be fired, he’s ruining the franchise”, blah blah blah…they will get the pass rusher as this draft is extremely deep at that position. There’s only a few solid CB’s this year, which is deeper than most drafts believe it or not.
The Pats will employ the nickel base defense this year, but they will also get their pass rusher, WR, TE and some depth for the OL and DL. But go ahead and throw your Pats gear away you weak hearted fools, because that will just give me more of a chance to go see the team live.
I don’t care who the opposing QB is, if you give him alot of time to throw it, he will pick you apart.
The Pats had the most prolific passing offense EVER, and what happened when the Giants were all over Brady and in his mug?
Let’s just say they didn’t get it done, and thiat wasn’t the 1st time OR the last time that it’s been proven that if he has no time, he can’t make plays if you have decent players in the backfield.
Bill drafted Wheatley for chrissakes, WHEATLEY?!
What is he gonna do, keep throwing darts at the board with a blindfold on and hope that he lands a good player?
What happened to the DL, is that just something that the rejects in the secondary are gonna have to deal with when the opposing QB has 15 minutes to sit back there?
What happened at LB?
Crable, Guyton? Woods? Are you serious?
Who’s gonna take AD’s spot, I sure hope Bill isn’t expecting any of the “Big 3 🙄 ” above to take that slot……they secondary better have 12 men back there to keep up with the 3 they have running patterns.
I’m praying that McKenzie is healthy this year, I’d like to see what he can do after last years debacle.