McCourty twins predict what Patriots should target in NFL Draft

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

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

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

“Dynamic pass rusher, someone who dictates the defense.” Devin McCourty ESPN’s Mike Reiss said. It is very difficult if it is only Milton [Williams] and [Christian] “Barmore is in the middle, and that’s all you have to worry about.”

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

“Edge’s rusher is at the top of the list,” Jason McCourty told Reese. “Dre’Mont Jones was a nice player; he’s a two-man type player where he can catch the quarterback, but [is] Quite good against the run and can kick inside on third down…but not a pass rusher.

Even if New England bolstered some of its defensive personnel up front by signing Dermont Jones to a three-year, $39 million contract, the Patriots also lost some of their pass-catching talent this offseason, as Clavon Chaisson signed a one-year, $12 million contract with the Washington Chiefs.

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 is one of New England’s top priorities in the coming days.

“Yes, we can complete our room some speed. I think that’s clear,” Wolf said. Darmont and Harold [Landry] And Elijah [Ponder] And some of our other guys, they all have their own skills. We would like to get faster.

“You know, Dre’Mont is a guy who can play across the line, run games. I mean he can beat you up quickly, but maybe that’s not his thing. And that’s an area we’re looking at, again, to try to improve the depth on the roster.”​

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