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Devin McCourty Had the Perfect Answer to Patriots Rookie Taking His Old Jersey Number

New England's longtime captain wore No. 32 for the entirety of his career in Foxborough.
Michael Kadlick|
McCourty wore No. 32 for the entirety of his career in New England.
McCourty wore No. 32 for the entirety of his career in New England. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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New England Patriots

The New England Patriots assigned their rookie draft class jersey numbers on Tuesday afternoon and as ESPN's Mike Reiss pointed out, second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson will be wearing No. 32—the same digits as longtime captain Devin McCourty.

Aside from Tom Brady's No. 12 jersey, which was retired last offseason at ceremony inside Gillette Stadium, New England has continued to keep some pretty prominent digits—a la Rob Gronkowski's No. 87 and Julian Edelman's No. 11—in rotation, so McCourty certainly shouldn't feel slighted.

And clearly, he doesn't. Less than an hour after the announcement, the three-time All-Pro defensive back quipped on X (formerly Twitter) with the perfect response:

"Can't wait to see real speed in that 32 jersey," he wrote.

While Henderson—a 4.43-second 40-yard dash running three-down back—is known for his explosiveness, the word "speed" was never prominent on McCourty's scouting reports.

Instead, the cornerback-turned-safety was more of a center fielder in the defensive backfield, whose instinctual presence and leadership helped New England win three Super Bowls over the course of his 13-year career.

Who needs speed, anyway?

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Mike Kadlick
MICHAEL KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a senior NFL news writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.

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