Devin McCourty

When Devin McCourty was growing up in suburban New York, he’d snatch the Eastbay catalog out of the mailbox, bring it to school, and find a free moment. Just like all his friends, he’d circle the apparel he coveted.

“A lot of times I didn’t get everything I wanted my mom used to say ‘no’ but we’d pick out a bunch of different things,” McCourty told the Herald yesterday. “You could never get everything you wanted.”

He can now.

Life is a little different now for the Patriots cornerback, a Pro Bowler as a rookie. With seven interceptions and a reputation as one of the NFL’s rising stars, his world has changed.

The latest example? McCourty recently concluded a photo shoot to be on the cover of Eastbay, and he left with an armful of merchandise.

“I got some pretty cool gear and stuff to work out in,” McCourty said. “This is definitely on the top of the list of things that’s happened to me so far. To think about all the different houses this magazine will be in, kids’ll be looking at the cover, I can’t even really describe it.”

The workout gear, of course, takes on added importance this season.

The NFL enters the third week of its lockout with escalating labor strife. Players are barred from working out in their team’s facilities, including Gillette Stadium.

No worries for McCourty.

The 2010 first-round pick spends his time at Rutgers, his alma mater, training with fellow Scarlet Knights stars such as Titans cornerback and twin brother Jason McCourty, Jaguars receiver Tiquan Underwood, and Bucs lineman Jeremy Zuttah. Current RU athletes who performed at their Pro Day are always around, too.

It’s not the same as offseason conditioning, but it’s close.

“It hasn’t been offseason with the team, but we’ve had quite a few guys,” McCourty said. “We’ve all just been working out here, looking at each other’s workouts and putting them together. It hasn’t been as bad as it could be, struggling to find somewhere to get good work.”

In addition to the weight-room activities, McCourty and his brethren have migrated between the hash marks for football drills.

“One good thing is we’ve been able to actually go on the field,” he said, “and do a couple one-on-ones and different things like that. We all came out of college like 1-3 three years apart. We’re all still fresh in the league, still getting after it.”

Last week at the NFL’s annual meetings, Patriots coach Bill Belichick was asked what expectation he had for his players returning from the lockout.

“All 32 teams are in the same boat,” Belichick said. “We’ll see them when we get back.”