The New England Patriots traded up in the fifth round to select Maryland defensive lineman Byron Cowart with the 159th overall pick in the draft. Let’s take a closer look at the developmental edge rusher to find out why New England decided to invest in him.
Developmental upside
The first word that comes to mind when describing Cowart is ‘raw.’ While he brings all the necessary physical attributes to the table to develop into a solid rotational option at the next level, he needs to improve his technique and play recognition skills in order to consistently compete against NFL-caliber blockers.