Patriots' Edge Rusher Target: Keyron Crawford

0:00On March 27th, the New England Patriots still have a major gap at edge rusher heading into the NFL draft. Team leaders like Elliott Wolfe and Mike Raible called it a top priority at the combine. They signed Dremont Jones to a three-year deal in free agency, but after losing players like Caleb Aunche Sahn and Anthony Jennings, depth is thin. With mostly young guys like Elijah Ponder and Brady and Swinson behind Harold Landry, expect the Patriots to target that spot early in the draft. One name gaining buzz is Auburn Senior Keyron Crawford, a 22-year-old standing six foot four and weighing 253 pounds. He met with New England at the combine and fits their preferred build under Raible. Crawford only started playing football, his senior year of high school, after starring in basketball. He racked up solid college stats across Arkansas State and Auburn, including 116 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, and 11 and, a half-sacks over 47 games.

1:00Last season, he earned third team all SEC honors with a career high 43 pressures. His explosive first step, bend, and active hands make him a strong pass rusher with versatility to drop into coverage or play special teams. While his arm length is short and he needs to refine counters, his motor and effort stand out, matching with the Patriots won in their rotation. As the draft nears, Crawford projects as a second or third-round pick who could slide right into passing downs behind Landry and Jones with Room 2. Grow into a starter. This has been NFL News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with The Story.