Devin McCourty explained why he thinks the Patriots are in the ‘best’ draft position

McCourty also gave what he would view as a good trade should the third overall pick get dealt.

Former Patriots safety Devin McCourty preparing before the taping of NBC's Football Night in America in 2023. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff

By Hayden Bird

April 23, 2024

4 minutes to read

Devin McCourty’s thoughts on the Patriots draft options: With days to go before the 2024 NFL Draft, the Patriots’ plans for the third overall pick continue to remain a mystery.

Devin McCourty, longtime Patriots defensive back (and now an NBC NFL analyst), gave his thoughts on New England’s current position during a Monday conversation with former Cowboys coach (and fellow analyst) Jason Garrett.

McCourty provided a twist on the usual projected trade scenario, noting that draft picks alone shouldn’t be what the Patriots try to acquire in a hypothetical deal.

“I think it’s real for the Patriots that, if they do get some type of deal that they love — and I know everybody’s like, ‘Well what is a deal that you love?’ — I think for them it’s not going to be just picks,” McCourty explained.

Examining the rest of the New England roster, McCourty said that a trade could happen simply given the number of needs the Patriots have.

Looking ahead to 2024, and despite the 4-13 record in 2023, McCourty also believes that there has to be a major improvement.

“They’re not going to be Super Bowl or bust, but I think they have to be in the playoffs,” said McCourty. “They want to get back to that level, and I think for them if they can get two or three first-round picks plus a player—a player like [Christian] Darrisaw in Minnesota, the left tackle—if they can get him, then I think they’re like, ‘Hey, Minnesota, Kevin O’Connell, you want to move up to number three? Give us a starting left tackle that we can go out there and say we now have a left tackle for the next five to ten years on our roster, go ahead.’

The other option for a potential trade might be at the wide receiver position, though McCourty ruled that out.

“I think they still have question marks there—left tackle and wide receiver—but I just don’t see Minnesota coming in and say take Justin Jefferson off our hands and give us picks,” McCourty reasoned. “I think that would be crazy, so I think the next step is them saying, ‘How do we solidify our offensive line?'”

The most likely scenario remains that no deal takes place and New England simply uses its pick at third overall.

“If they don’t get a trade offer that they love, then to me they have probably the best position,” McCourty claimed of drafting third. “Maybe they don’t get the guy you might have rated a little higher than the other guy, but you don’t have to make this choice. You get the third best guy, but you can work with a Drake Maye or a Jayden Daniels. That’s pretty good in this draft to say we got the third best guy, but they’re not far off from the guy in front of us. We’ve seen in years past, that could be a huge drop-off depending on who’s available, so I think they’re in a good position.”

Trivia: The Patriots picked Devin McCourty 27th overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. New England then made three selections in the second round. Can you name those three players?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: One tight end, two defensive players from the University of Florida.

Scores and schedules:

On Monday, the Bruins lost to the Maple Leafs 3-2 in Game 2 of the first-round playoff series (now tied at 1-1). The competition now heads to Toronto, where Game 3 will take place on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

The Red Sox face the Guardians in Cleveland tonight at 6:10 p.m. to begin a three-game series.

The Celtics await Game 2 of the series against the Heat, which tips off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Boston leads Miami 1-0.

Also on Wednesday, PWHL Boston will be on the road to play Ottawa at 7 p.m.

More from Boston.com:

Looking back at 2023: The Patriots’ first-round pick from last year offered a glimpse at his football origins, and how the draft went from his perspective.

On this day: In 1939, Ted Williams went 4-for-5 and hit his first career home run. Coming in front of a Fenway Park crowd, Williams was cheered as a possible successor to Babe Ruth.

The 20-year-old “gangling lad from the Pacific Coast” also added a “towering two-bagger” and a “pair of wickedly hit singles” to round out his impressive performance, per Gerry Moore of The Boston Globe. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, Williams couldn’t also contribute to the pitching staff, and the Philadelphia Athletics prevailed 12-8.