Devin McCourty
Devin McCourty is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League for 13 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft. Missing only five games during his Patriots career, McCourty received two Pro Bowl selections and was also a member of three Super Bowl-winning teams. McCourty also has the most postseason starts for a defensive player. His twin brother, Jason McCourty, also played in the NFL. Since leaving the NFL in 2022, he has served as a commentator for NBC's Football Night in America.
Early life
McCourty attended Saint Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, New Jersey, with his twin brother, Jason McCourty. He played cornerback and free safety and was an all-league selection in his final two seasons. As a senior, he had 50 tackles and three interceptions.Considered a two-star recruit by Rivals.com, McCourty only received one scholarship offer, from Rutgers.
College career
McCourty attended Rutgers University, and played for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team beginning in 2005. After redshirting his first season, McCourty appeared in all 13 games as a freshman in 2006 and recorded 38 tackles and two interceptions. In 2007, McCourty and his twin brother Jason started at cornerback, with Devin compiling 63 tackles, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and three blocked kicks on special teams. He was named an All-Big East Conference academic selection in his first two seasons.McCourty started 13 games at cornerback in his 2008 junior season, picking up 57 tackles, one interception, and a blocked punt.
In his final season at Rutgers in 2009, McCourty started 13 games at cornerback, while still also working on special teams units. He had a career-high 80 tackles and also recorded one interception and 10 pass deflections. He also averaged 25.4 yards on kickoff returns and had a 98-yard kickoff return, third-longest in school history. Following the season, he was named to the All-Big East first-team.
McCourty graduated from Rutgers with a bachelor's degree in sociology.
College statistics
Professional career
Pre-draft
On August 25, 2009, NFL analyst Gil Brandt ranked McCourty the fourth best cornerback prospect heading into the 2010 NFL draft. He attended the NFL Scouting Combine and performed all of the combine drills. On March 10, 2010, McCourty attended Rutgers' annual pro day, but chose to stand on his combine numbers and only performed positional drills. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, McCourty was projected to be a first- or second-round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the third-best cornerback prospect in the draft by Sports Illustrated and ESPN, the fourth-best by DraftScout.com, and the fifth-best by Bleacher Report.2010
The New England Patriots selected McCourty in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft. He was the third cornerback selected in 2010 and became the highest defensive player to ever be selected in the NFL draft from Rutgers. His teammate Anthony Davis became Rutgers' highest draft pick when he was selected earlier by the San Francisco 49ers at 11th overall. This became the only time Rutgers had two first-round picks in the one NFL draft. McCourty and Davis joined 2009 first-round pick Kenny Britt as the only first-round picks in school history, and McCourty remains as the last occurrence of a player from Rutgers being drafted in the first round.On May 18, 2010, the Patriots released starting cornerback Shawn Springs following their selection of McCourty. Springs stated, "It's almost like cut me, and he wants to see what he's got without distractions, He wants to give them a shot. It's hard to give them a shot when you have the presence of a guy like me around. He's going to give you all the chances not to mess it up. It helps your psyche. You don't have to compete. Just do your job. Now, you don't have to worry about the pressure of guys competing with me and messing up your confidence as a young guy, feeling like, 'How am I going to compete with this guy'.
On July 28, 2010, the New England Patriots signed McCourty to a five-year, $10 million contract that includes $7.82 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.50 million.
He entered training camp as a possible candidate to become the No. 2 starting cornerback, but faced competition from Darius Butler, Terrence Wheatley, and Jonathan Wilhite. No. 1 starting cornerback Leigh Bodden was inactive for the first two preseason games, but was active in the third game against the St. Louis Rams. He would be absent for practices following the game and reportedly suffered a shoulder injury during the game. On August 31, 2010, the Patriots officially placed Bodden on injured reserve as he would have to undergo surgery for a torn rotator cuff and he would be sidelined for the entire 2010 NFL season. Head coach Bill Belichick named both McCourty and Darius Butler the starting cornerbacks to begin the regular season.
He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Patriots' season-opener against the Cincinnati Bengals and recorded five solo tackles and a pass deflection in their 38–24 victory. McCourty made his first career tackle on Adam Jones, ending Jones 19-yard kick return in the first quarter. On October 24, 2010, McCourty made three combined tackles, a pass deflection, and made his first career interception off a pass by quarterback Philip Rivers during a 23–20 win at the San Diego Chargers in Week 7. McCourty intercepted the pass that was originally intended for Patrick Crayton in the second quarter and was immediately tackled. On November 14, 2010, he collected a season-high 11 combined tackles and broke up a pass in the Patriots' 39–26 victory at the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10. In Week 11, he collected six combined tackles, two pass deflections, and an interception in the Patriots' 31–28 win against the Indianapolis Colts. The following week, McCourty made a season-high three pass deflections, seven combined tackles, and intercepted two passes by Matthew Stafford in a 45–24 victory at the Detroit Lions in Week 12. The feat marked his first multi-interception game of his career. On December 6, 2010, McCourty recorded three solo tackles, broke up a pass, and an interception as the Patriots routed the New York Jets 45–3 in Week 13. The interception was his sixth pick of the season and continued his three-game streak with an interception. In Week 15, he collected ten solo tackles, a pass deflection, and made his first career sack on quarterback Matt Flynn during a 31–27 win against the Green Bay Packers. On December 29, 2010, it was announced that McCourty was voted to the 2011 Pro Bowl. He finished his rookie season in 2010 with 82 combined tackles, 17 pass deflections, seven interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a sack in 16 games and 16 starts. His 17 pass deflections and seven interceptions marked career-highs. McCourty was named a First-team All-Pro by The Sporting News and Second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press.
The New England Patriots finished first in the AFC East with a 14–2 record and clinched home-field advantage and a first-round bye. On January 16, 2011, McCourty started in his first career playoff game and collected three solo tackles in their 28–21 loss to the Jets in the AFC Divisional Round.
2011
McCourty entered training camp slated as the Patriots' No. 1 starting cornerback. Head coach Bill Belichick officially named McCourty the starter, alongside Leigh Bodden, to start the regular season. On September 8, 2011, it was reported that McCourty was selected by teammates to be one of the six team captains. McCourty, Jerod Mayo, and Vince Wilfork were chosen to be defensive captains for the season.McCourty started in the Patriots' season-opener at the Miami Dolphins and collected a season-high 11 combined tackles and two pass deflections in their 38–24 victory. On November 13, 2011, he made four solo tackles during 37–16 victory at the Jets, but exited in the second quarter after injuring his shoulder during a collision with teammate Sterling Moore. His shoulder injury sidelined him for the next two games. In Week 16, McCourty collected nine combined tackles, a season-high five pass deflections, and made an interception during a 27–24 victory. He finished the season with 87 combined tackles, 13 pass deflections, and two interceptions in 14 games and 14 starts.
The New England Patriots finished first in the AFC East with a 13–3 record. They went on to defeat the Denver Broncos 45–10 in the AFC Divisional Round and the Baltimore Ravens 23–20 in the AFC Championship to advance to the Super Bowl. On February 5, 2012, McCourty started in Super Bowl XLVI and collected seven combined tackles as the Patriots lost to the New York Giants by a score of 21–17.
2012
McCourty entered training camp slated as the No. 1 starting cornerback. Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia named McCourty and Kyle Arrington the starting cornerbacks to start the season, ahead of Ras-I Dowling, Will Allen, Sterling Moore, and Alfonzo Dennard. He was also named the starting kick returner by special teams coordinator Scott O'Brien. On September 6, 2012, it was announced that McCourty was selected to be a captain for the second consecutive season.In Week 4, McCourty collected four solo tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted two passes by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick during a 52–28 win at the Buffalo Bills. On October 21, 2012, McCourty made five solo tackles and returned a kick for a touchdown during a 29–26 overtime win against the Jets in Week 7. His kick return was for 104-yards and occurred in the first quarter. It became his first and only career kick return for a touchdown. His performance in Week 7 earned him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. On November 1, 2012, the New England Patriots acquired cornerback Aqib Talib in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Following the trade, it was reported that McCourty would be permanently moving to free safety until moving back to cornerback in the final 2 regular season games. His move to safety was in many ways attributed to injuries to safeties Steve Gregory and Patrick Chung and the emergence of Kyle Arrington and Alfonzo Dennard as productive cornerbacks. McCourty immediately assumed the job as the starting free safety, replacing Patrick Chung, who was still recovering from a shoulder injury. On November 11, 2012, he made his debut as the starting free safety and recorded eight combined tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception in the Patriots' 37–31 win against the Bills in Week 10. McCourty finished the season with 82 combined tackles, 13 pass deflections, five interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a touchdown in 16 games and 16 starts. He started six of the last eight regular season games at free safety and also served as the kick returner throughout the season. McCourty finished with 24 kick returns for a total of 654-yards and one touchdown. McCourty played a total of 1,329 snaps on defense and special teams. His snap total finished third in the league in 2012, behind teammates Ryan Wendell and Nate Solder.
The Patriots completed the regular season in first place in the AFC East with a 12–4 record. On January 13, 2013, McCourty made his first postseason start at safety and collected eight combined tackles during a 41–28 win against the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round. The following week, he made eight combined tackles as the Patriots were eliminated from the playoffs after a 28–13 loss to the Ravens in the AFC Championship.