Making Sense Of Patriots’ Reported Interest In Top Receiver Prospects

If their pre-draft approach is any indication, the New England Patriots are strongly considering using an early pick on a wide receiver.

That would be a new frontier for Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

In the 18 drafts since Belichick took over the franchise in 2000, New England has not selected a single wide receiver in the first round. The Pats have drafted four in the second round, but three of those came in Belichick’s first seven years (Deion Branch in 2002, Bethel Johnson in 2003 and Chad Jackson in 2006). Aaron Dobson in 2013 was the fourth.

The other 11 wideouts drafted during the Belichick era consisted of two third-round picks, two fourth-rounders, two fifth-rounders and five seventh-round fliers.

Yet this spring, the Patriots have been linked to nearly every receiver who could hear his name called in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. They reportedly brought Maryland’s D.J. Moore, Texas A&M’s Christian Kirk and Alabama’s Calvin Ridley to Gillette Stadium for visits and also met with SMU’s Courtland Sutton.

Those players are widely considered the four best receivers in this draft class, though the order varies from expert to expert. (LSU’s D.J. Chark, who has not been linked to the Patriots in any reports, belongs in that conversation, as well.) It’s likely at least two of those players, potentially three, will be selected on Day 1. All four should be gone before the midway point of the second round.

On the surface, wide receiver seems to rank relatively low on New England’s list of draft needs, behind offensive tackle, linebacker, quarterback, tight end, edge rusher, cornerback and safety. But the fact the team has evaluated so many high-profile wideouts — plus Day 2 and 3 guys like Penn State’s DaeSean Hamilton, Oklahoma State’s James Washington and Miami’s Braxton Berrios, per reports — suggests Belichick believes his current receiving corps could use an upgrade.

Does it? Let’s take a look.

With Danny Amendola (Miami Dolphins) and Brandin Cooks (Los Angeles Rams) both gone, the Patriots currently have 10 wide receivers on their roster: Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Jordan Matthews, Malcolm Mitchell, Phillip Dorsett, Kenny Britt, Cordarrelle Patterson, Riley McCarron, Cody Hollister and special teams ace Matthew Slater.

— Edelman will be 32 next month and is coming off a torn ACL.

— Mitchell missed all of last season with a worrisome knee injury.

— Matthews, Dorsett and Britt all failed to produce in 2017 for various reasons.

— Patterson always has been more of a kick return/gadget guy than a reliable offensive player.

— McCarron and Hollister only have practice squad experience.

— Hogan is entering the final year of his contract, as are six of the team’s other wideouts. (Edelman, Mitchell and Slater are signed until 2020.)

Could a bunch of these wideouts light it up this summer, forcing the Patriots to make some very difficult decisions ahead of cutdown day? Certainly. This might be the deepest receiver group in the NFL as it’s currently constituted. But when you factor in all those question marks, New England could benefit from adding a young, controllable pass-catcher to the mix.

Whether the Patriots should use a first-round draft pick on a wideout, though, is a different conversation. Given their holes elsewhere, nabbing at wideout at No. 23 or No. 31 still seems like a bit of a stretch.

For reference, here are the 15 wide receivers drafted under Belichick:

Malcolm Mitchell (fourth round, 2016)
Devin Lucien (seventh round, 2016)
Jeremy Gallon (seventh round, 2014)
Aaron Dobson (second round, 2013)
Josh Boyce (fourth round, 2013)
Jeremy Ebert (seventh round, 2012)
Taylor Price (third round, 2010)
Brandon Tate (third round, 2009)
Julian Edelman (seventh round, 2009)
Matthew Slater (fifth round, 2008)
Chad Jackson (second round, 2006)
P.K. Sam (fifth round, 2004)
Bethel Johnson (second round, 2003)
Deion Branch (second round, 2002)
David Givens (seventh round, 2002)

Only Edelman, Branch and Givens caught more than 55 passes in a Patriots uniform, though Mitchell still has a chance to join that group.