The New England Patriots continued their efforts to rebuild their pass rush and defensive line in the wake of losing Trey Flowers and Malcom Brown in free agency. Two rounds after drafting defensive end Chase Winovich from the University of Michigan, New England selected another pass-rusher from the Big Ten conference: Byron Cowart of the University of Maryland.
Cowart, according to one report, has been “widely deemed as a defensive tackle in an end’s body.” Coming out of high school, Rivals.com had him ranked as the No. 1 defensive end prospect in the entire country.