New England Patriots fans need to stop asking for a No. 1 receiver. They already have one.
Julian Edelman earned some high praise from an anonymous NFL general manager, who told ESPN’s Mel Kiper that the former college quarterback is “the toughest cover in the NFL right now.”
That compliment is pulled from Kiper’s (ESPN Insider exclusive) 2009 NFL re-draft, where Edelman now is picked No. 4 overall, coincidentally by the Seattle Seahawks.
Edelman caught nine passes on 12 targets for 109 yards and one touchdown in the Patriots’ Super Bowl XLIX win over the Seahawks. Edelman is a dangerous, precise route runner with elite agility and solid hands. He proved incredibly difficult for the Seahawks to cover near the line of scrimmage in the Super Bowl, and he has the speed to collect yards after catch.
Edelman actually was drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round in 2009 after spending his career at Kent State and College of San Mateo as a quarterback. It took Edelman five seasons to earn a starting receiver role in New England, but now he has 197 catches for 2,028 yards amd 10 touchdowns over the past two seasons.
Patriots starting right tackle Sebastian Vollmer also cracked the top 10 in Kiper’s re-draft, being slotted No. 9 overall to the Green Bay Packers. Vollmer, who didn’t receive a combine invite coming out of Houston, was a second-round pick by the Patriots in 2009.
Thumbnail photo via Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports Images
