- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 439,972
- Reaction score
- 44
You must be registered for see images attach
New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)AP
There are scads of teams who will draft a quarterback every year with the hope of striking it rich.
They keep going back to the well, until they hit the jackpot.
That’s a sound strategy. That should also be the Patriots mindset when it comes to receivers.
Keep drafting them, until they get it right.
Let’s remember, the last pass catcher to get a Pro Bowl nod was a tight end, not a receiver. That was Rob Gronkowski, whose last selection came in 2017.
Julian Edelman was the team’s last 1,000-yard receiver. The last time he accomplished that feat was 2019. And while Matthew Slater and Gunner Olczewski both made the Pro Bowl, that came for their special teams play, not for any accomplishment as a receiver.
Taking away Wes Welker and Randy Moss, who weren’t drafted by the Patriots, you have to go back to the days of Troy Brown and Terry Glenn to find a Pro Bowl receiver.
While the Patriots did add to the room by signing free agents Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, and drafted two receivers last year with Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, that shouldn’t preclude them from getting back on the horse.
They remain short on elite talent and difference-making receivers.
Diggs helps, but he’s 31 and coming off an ACL injury.
Even though this isn’t considered the best receiver class, or as good as some in the past, it doesn’t matter.
The Patriots have nine picks in the upcoming draft and need to select at least one receiver from that group - and the round really doesn’t matter.
They have to keep trying to land a stud for Drake Maye to make life a little easier for the Patriots franchise quarterback. They have to keep taking chances with hopes of landing a diamond in the rough.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Mostly, it behooves this front office to make better decisions.
Don’t pass up Ladd McConkey, in favor of trading out of the pick, and winding up with Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker instead.
Don’t take Tyquan Thornton instead of George Pickens, who went to the Pittsburgh Steelers two picks later.
Don’t take N’Keal Harry in the first round, instead of Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, or DK Metcalf, who all went in the second round.
Mike Vrabel, Ryan Cowden and Eliot Wolf - assuming the latter still has some input when it comes to the draft - can’t make the same mistakes.
They need to land a legitimate star wideout.
Of course, there’s a chance that Polk and Baker will turn it around with the benefit of new coaches.
Last season, they showed little as rookies thanks to working with an inexperienced coaching staff, and perhaps, not truly being NFL-worthy.
It remains to be seen if they can change the narrative.
So it behooves the Patriots to draft at least one receiver when the 2025 draft commences Thursday.
Specifically, they could use a deep threat who has the speed to stretch the field vertically. Or simply, they need to find a coverage-dictating receiver opposing teams have to worry about.
Asked at the NFL Combine about adding a “top-flight wide receiver” Vrabel stated the obvious: “You usually gotta draft them.”
He knows the score. But he also has to be right about who he takes.
There have been plenty of receivers heading to the Patriots in various 7-round mock drafts. So the belief is Vrabel will take another kick at the can.
Not too long ago, it seemed like the Patriots would have a chance at dual threat Travis Hunter. Only, that seems like a pipe dream at this stage.
So who beyond Hunter might provide the type of impact that’s needed?
If the Patriots want a speed guy, Iowa State’s Jaylin Noel fits the profile. They had a visit with Noel, who could go in the second or third round, at the Senior Bowl.
He’d bring a much-needed element of explosiveness to the team’s receiving corps.
He posted a 4.39 40-time. This past season, he had 80 catches for 1,194 yards with 8 TDs. He screams home run threat.
Matthew Golden of Texas was the fastest receiver at Combine, clocking in at 4.29 seconds. Along with blazing speed, he’s also a terrific route runner. Vrabel attended his Pro Day.
Stanford’s Elic Ayomanor is another to keep an eye on. He’d be a downfield threat. Ditto Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan, who has great size at 6-4, 219, has been compared to Tee Higgins, and is a first-round talent.
Washington State’s Kyle Williams is a third-round prospect who’s also been linked to the Patriots. Iowa State’s Jayden Higgins, meanwhile, who is another who fits the profile for what the Patriots need. He’s a second-round talent.
No matter which receiver winds up as the selection - and there needs to be at least one - the Patriots have to get it right.
There’s no time like the present to finally make that happen.
More Patriots Content
- Some Things I Think I Think: Red Sox are wise to take it slow with Roman Anthony
- Patriots 2025 NFL Draft Guide: Offensive Tackles
- Patriots should draft Will Campbell at No. 4 | Mark Daniels
- Patriots 2025 NFL Draft Guide: Edge Rushers
Continue reading...
