The New England Patriots are taking a long, hard look at the top tier of wide receivers in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Patriots, who currently have 10 receivers on their roster, have been linked to nearly every wideout who is projected to come off the board in the first two rounds.
The latest: Alabama’s Calvin Ridley, considered by many to be the No. 1 receiver in this year’s draft class.
New England is scheduled to host Ridley on Wednesday for a top-30 pre-draft visit, a source told NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
Ridley, who left Alabama after his junior season, was a three-year starter for the Crimson Tide. Measuring 6 feet, 189 pounds, he’s considered one of the best route runners in this draft. He ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash, 6.88-second three-cone drill and 4.41-second short shuttle at the NFL Scouting Combine.
That 40 time was tied for fifth among receivers, while his three-cone ranked 10th and his shuttle ranked 22nd.
Though the Patriots don’t have a pressing need at wideout, they’ve spent a considerable amount of time and resources evaluating the position this spring. The list of receiver prospects they’ve either hosted, met with or worked out includes Ridley, Maryland’s D.J. Moore, SMU’s Courtland Sutton, Texas A&M’s Christian Kirk, Oklahoma State’s James Washington and Penn State’s DaeSean Hamilton, according to various reports.
Ridley, Moore, Sutton and Kirk all could hear their names called in the first round, while James and Hamilton likely are Day 2 options.
New England currently owns the 23rd and 31st overall selections in the 2018 draft, plus two more picks in the second and eight picks overall. Ridley also could be an option for the Baltimore Ravens at No. 16 and the Dallas Cowboys at No. 19.
The Patriots’ receiving corps currently consists of Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Jordan Matthews, Malcolm Mitchell, Phillip Dorsett, Kenny Britt, Cordarrelle Patterson, Riley McCarron, Cody Hollister and special teamer Matthew Slater. The team let Danny Amendola walk in free agency and traded Brandin Cooks.
Edelman, Matthews and Mitchell all are coming off season-ending injuries. Only Edelman, Mitchell and Slater are signed beyond this season, with their contracts set to expire in 2020.
