DETROIT — The New England Patriots’ wide receiver corps might not be full of household names, but the group proved why they have a high ceiling Thursday night.
Undrafted rookie Jakobi Meyers was the star of the show in the Patriots’ preseason-opening win over the Detroit Lions, but he wasn’t the only young wideout who showed out.
Meyers, 22, had six catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns; Braxton Berrios, 23, caught three passes for 45 yards; first-round rookie N’Keal Harry, 21, hauled in two catches for 36 yards; and Ryan Davis, 22, and Gunner Olszewski, 22, had one catch apiece. Maurice Harris, at 26, isn’t exactly a grizzled vet either. He had three catches for 27 yards and a touchdown.
“It was good to see them in live-action,” backup quarterback Brian Hoyer said Thursday night. “You never know how it’s going to transition from practice to a game, and for a lot of these guys it was their first game in the NFL, and they answered the bell. They stepped up and it wasn’t too big for them. They’re doing a good job. They have to continue to grow and this is just one building block.”
Needless to say, the young receivers had a good time as the Patriots dominated the Lions 31-3.
“That was the most fun I’ve ever had in my entire life,” Olszewski said. “I’ll tell you right now. I walked out there, just looked around. It’s a long way from the Chet Anderson Stadium, Bemidji’s home field. It was awesome.”
He’s right. Chet Anderson seats 5,000. Ford Field holds 13 times that amount.
Olszewski also took a handoff — the first since he “was a little kid” — returned three punts for 34 yards and handled kickoff returns, though they were both touchbacks. Pretty wild for a guy who was playing cornerback at the Division II level nine months ago.
“I couldn’t even tell you what the play was when I caught the ball,” Olszewski said. “I just kind of caught the ball and played football at that point. I think it’s only going to go up from here for everybody. We all knocked some rust off. I can’t even say rust. It’s all brand new for us rookies. We all just got our foot in the water. I think we’re all now just looking forward to keep getting better.”
Berrios, who’s almost an honorary rookie after spending his first season on injured reserve, was beaming in the locker room after the game.
“Thankful, honestly,” Berrios said. “I was about a year to the date since the last football game I’ve played. It was incredible just playing football again.”
Berrios returned four punts for 35 yards.
“It’s awesome to just get back in the groove,” Berrios said. “The punt return was before the catch, and it’s nice to take it, get your first hit in and then get your first catch in, and then you finally feel the flow of the game again. You can’t really replicate that anywhere else.”
Harry got banged up after his second catch and never reentered the game. But he made a positive impression in limited snaps.
The Patriots’ wide receiver room is wide open beyond Julian Edelman, who’s currently on the non-football injury list with a broken thumb, Harry and special-teamer Matthew Slater.
Meyers, Berrios, Olszewski, Davis, Harris, Phillip Dorsett, Dontrelle Inman and Damoun Patterson, as well as Cameron Meredith and Demaryius Thomas — both of whom are on the physically unable to perform list — are competing for what’s likely just three more spots on the 53-man roster. If Thomas and Meredith begin the season on the PUP list, then the favorites among that group are Dorsett, Meyers and Harris. But Berrios, Olszewski, Davis and even Inman, who caught two passes for 23 yards, showed Thursday they’re not going to let up easily.
The Patriots’ wide receiver corps has a low floor given its uncertainty. But there’s also plenty of upside in this group.
