A highly regarded member of the New England Patriots coaching staff will get a chance to run a defense next month in Mobile, Ala.
Patriots defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington was selected as the defensive coordinator for the American Team at the 2023 Senior Bowl, the premier on-field showcase for NFL draft prospects.
The 33-year-old Covington just completed his sixth season as a Patriots assistant and his third coaching New England D-linemen. While not a household name, he's viewed as a rising star in the coaching ranks, with multiple players saying he has a future as a DC or head coach.
"The attention to detail that he has, I think he could be a great defensive coordinator," Patriots D-tackle Carl Davis told NESN.com in November. Davon Godchaux said Covington will make a "great head coach one day."
The Patriots nominated Covington to work the Senior Bowl, which is implementing a new coaching format this season.
Rather than having the full coaching staffs from two NFL teams run the show in Mobile, the American and National squads both will be coached by a collection of assistants from several franchises, with those coaches "placed into elevated or different roles from the ones they currently hold with their respective clubs." Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham -- a Patriots alum -- and Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy will serve as the two head coaches.
The rest of New England's staff will coach prospects at the other marquee college all-star game, the East-West Shrine Bowl, which is set to take place Thursday, Feb. 2 at Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium. The Senior Bowl will be played two days later.
Between those two games, the Patriots will get an up-close, hands-on look at more than 100 of this year's top prospects. The Senior Bowl traditionally has produced a handful of Patriots draftees each year, and their 2022 draft class featured four Shrine Bowl alums, with two more signing as undrafted free agents.
