FOXBORO, Mass. — The Patriots have needed speed on the outside for some time, and they’ve found some in this year’s draft.
First, it was the monstrous frame and freakish athleticism of Aaron Dobson in the second round. On Saturday, they added wideout athlete with crazy potential.
Josh Boyce is one of the best athletes in this draft, and he has the ability to be a real gamebreaker on the outside. He’s a bit undersized at just 5-foot-11, but his speed more than makes up for it. He ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, and he thinks it would have been even faster if not for his broken foot.
“Probably but you never know,” Boyce said of posting a faster 40 time. “I’m just glad it worked out.”
He spent the past three seasons blazing down the sidelines at TCU, and now he’ll have the chance to do so in New England, catching passes from Tom Brady. But Boyce isn’t intimidated by Brady’s prowess as a quarterback. He’s played with NFL quarterbacks before.
In high school, Boyce’s quarterback was 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III. Then in college, he was catching passes from Cincinnati Bengals starter Andy Dalton. Needless to say, he’s been fortunate with his run on quarterbacks.
Boyce would agree.
“It’s great,” Boyce said about the chance to play with Brady. “All three of them are great guys, great quarterbacks. I’ve been blessed to play with great quarterbacks my whole career.”
Both Griffin and Dalton enjoyed Boyce’s incredible speed on the outside in their respective times, but now it’s Brady’s turn. The Patriots quarterback hasn’t had a true deep threat since Randy Moss‘ final days in New England in the fall of 2010. So, the addition of a few speedsters like Boyce and Dobson should bring a smile to his face.
Dobson will garner the most hype and excitement heading into the 2013 season, but Boyce very well could be the better pro. That’s not a knock on Dobson, either. Boyce just seems to have the physical and mental makeup needed to be a big-impact player right away.
Both players come in with their fair share of risk, and maybe even more so with Boyce. But speed kills in the NFL, and that’s exactly what the Patriots just gained on offense.
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