With all the great things being said about Braxton Berrios, it’s tough to fathom how the former Miami Hurricanes wideout slipped to the sixth round in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The speedy Berrios, who the New England Patriots selected 210th overall, projects both as a slot receiver and a punt returner, and he already is drawing comparisons to players like Wes Welker and Julian Edelman. It’s not hard to see why, as the 5-foot-9, 184-pound receiver’s grit, quickness and nose for the ball are on full display in his college highlight videos.
The most glowing review of Berrios yet, however, comes from Mark Richt, his head coach at Miami.
“All I can say about Braxton is don’t doubt the guy,” Richt recently told The Athletic’s Jeff Howe. “Don’t doubt what he can do. What he did for us was pretty amazing. He was the most dynamic offensive player we had, and we had some pretty good players. He is smart, tough, agile, has great ball skills, fearless. He’ll block his tail off with all he’s got.
“… He covered kicks for us. He ran down there and tackled people on the kickoff team. He’ll do it all. He is that kind of guy. He’s a team guy.”
It’s unclear at this point who will handle New England’s punt-returning duties this season, but Berrios has the necessary skill set. Perhaps Patriots coach Bill Belichick will view him as an option.
“He is one of the best, if not the best, punt returners I’ve been around,” Richt told Howe. “In his ability to make the decision to catch, fair catch, go get a ball that maybe wasn’t hit real good and if you go up and get it to save a 20-yard roll.”
To use a brutally tired cliché: The guy has “Patriot” written all over him.
Ultimately, Berrios’ success in the NFL will come down to his ability to shed cornerbacks and make plays. And Mike Rumph, a former NFL cornerback and current Miami cornerbacks coach, seems to believe Berrios will have no problem adjusting to the next level.
“He just goes,” Rumph told Howe. “Braxton will run around you. To me as a corner, that’s the scariest thing. I like a dancer that is going to take his time, and I can be patient and get my hands on him.
“But when they just take off right away, that’s the scariest thing.”
Berrios has a lot to prove before he moves up the Patriots’ crowded receiver depth chart. Still, all indications are New England found itself another late-round gem.
