FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
The Patriots enter with 11 selections, and former New England defensive backs Devin McCourty and Jason McCourty are aligned in what they put atop the "must-have" category.
"A dynamic pass rusher, somebody that dictates defense. 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," said Devin, the NBC "Football Night in America" analyst who played his entire career in New England (2010-2022).
"I think about guys we played -- the J.J. Watts, Aaron Donalds -- it was always, 'We're just going to slide [pass protection] that way each time and leave the tackles one-on-one.' That showed up for me watching the Super Bowl. It was like, 'Man, they have nothing.'"
K'Lavon Chaisson, who led the team with 10.5 sacks (including playoffs), departed in free agency to the Washington Commanders. Eight-year veteran Dre'Mont Jones steps in as a projected starter in his place, opposite nine-year veteran Harold Landry III, who the team is banking on returning to form as he rehabs following offseason knee surgery.
"Edge rusher is at the top of the list," agreed Jason, the ESPN analyst who played 13 seasons in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl in New England in 2018. "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.
"So it's getting a young guy to come in there who doesn't have to be the guy [right away] but can begin as a nice rotation piece."
Devin and Jason McCourty are former Patriots turned analysts. Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire Patriots vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said he views the draft deep at edge. Current backups include second-year players Elijah Ponder and Bradyn Swinson, and long-shot free agent signing Jesse Luketa.
Offensive line depth and development of others already on the roster are Devin's other "must-haves" for the Patriots.
"There have to be guys you talk about who are not a free agent signing, not a [2026] draft pick -- a Kyle Williams, TreVeyon Henderson in a bigger role," he said. "... I think about a guy like [cornerback] Alex Austin who they had, and everybody was excited about him, and it just didn't turn that way. They have to turn some of these people they have and look at them and say, 'Man, this guy became a really good player.'"