Patriots Trade Down Twice, Take CB McCourty

Ian Logue

Apr 23, 2010 at 3:00am ET

It was another night of Patriots fans watching head coach Bill Belichick do plenty of maneuvering, with the team making two trades on Day 1 of the 2010 draft before finally selecting CB Devin McCourty out of Rutgers.

After waiting nearly two hours, when the Patriots were finally on the clock at #22, former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels cut a deal with his former colleague which allowed him to grab receiver Demaryius Thomas, who was likely taken to replace Brandon Marshall. In exchange the Patriots moved down two spots to #24, and acquired a 4th round selection.

Two picks later the Dallas Cowboys apparently wanted receiver Dez Bryant badly enough to give up a 3rd round selection in order to swap spots with the Patriots, and another deal was struck. This time as a result New England moved from 24 to 27, where they stayed and took McCourty.

Former Rutgers Standout Devin McCourty is now a New England Patriot (Photo Credit: Icon/SMI)

Belichick certainly must see something special in the former Rutgers standout. During his press conference with the media Thursday night he told reporters that he would have selected McCourty back at #22 even if the first trade with Denver hadn't been consummated - which is interesting to hear, and is quite a compliment to the rookie.

It was also interesting to hear that there could have even potentially have been a third deal, as Belichick mentioned that, "We had offers every time we were on the clock."

McCourty has a pretty solid resume, with some scouting reports saying that he could be a potential "shut down" corner. Regardless of talent one word that Belichick has always liked when it comes to a player is "versatility", a characteristic that McCourty possesses as he was also thought to be the best special team player in the draft. He was one of just two players in the nation to block a punt and return a kickoff for a touchdown last season, and was also named the conference special teams player of the week twice. He's also blocked seven career kicks.

Now that he's a Patriot, he joins his twin brother Jason - who is also a cornerback - in the world of professional football. Jason was drafted by the Titans in the 6th round last year, and finished with 29 tackles and also forced a fumble last season for Tennessee.

In the end things seem like they worked out pretty well. Belichick got his guy, and picked up a 3rd, and 4th round selection in the process. Needless to say he sounded pretty pleased with how day one turned out.

"At the end of the round there, things came out about as well as we could have hoped for," said Belichick.

Rounds 2-3 will be held Friday night beginning at 6pm ET.