Patriots Hosting First-Round Wide Receiver Prospect On NFL Draft Visit

The New England Patriots have plenty of depth at receiver, but that’s not stopping them from hosting a top wideout prospect on a visit this spring.

Texas A&M wide receiver Christian Kirk will visit the Patriots, he said at his pro day Tuesday. Kirk is projected as a first- or second-round prospect in the 2018 NFL Draft this April.

The Patriots have the 31st, 43rd and 63rd overall picks in the first and second rounds of the draft.

Kirk caught 71 passes for 919 yards with 10 touchdowns in 2017 as a junior. He caught 234 passes for 2,856 yards with 26 touchdowns in three seasons with the Aggies. He also returned 48 kicks for 1,048 yards with one touchdown and 37 punts for 814 yards with six scores.

He ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash at 5-foot-10, 201 yards at the NFL Scouting Combine with a 1.54-second 10-yard split, 7.09-second 3-cone, 4.45-second short shuttle, 35.5-inch vertical leap, 9-foot, 7-inch broad jump and 20 bench press reps of 225 pounds.

The Patriots have Julian Edelman, Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell, Cordarrelle Patterson, Phillip Dorsett, Kenny Britt, Matthew Slater, Riley McCarron and Cody Hollister on their wide receiver depth chart. Only Edelman, Cooks, Hogan and Slater are locks for the 53-man roster, so the Patriots could bring in more competition at the position.

Cooks, Hogan, Patterson, Dorsett, Britt, McCarron and Hollister are set to be free agents after the 2018 season, so it could make sense to draft a young wideout. Kirk’s ability to return punts also could interest the Patriots.