FOXBORO, Mass. — A New England Patriots wide receiver comes out of his two-point stance at the snap, and as he’s dropping to chop his feet, ready to burst into his route, he’s also staring across the field to see who’s tasked to cover him. Then he shifts his eyes and takes a look at what the other cornerbacks are showing. Are they dropping? Pressing? Drifting? Finally, he takes a glance at the safeties. Now he knows the shell of the defense and he’s ready to complete his route.
And if he didn’t see it exactly the same way as starting quarterback Tom Brady in that second of information gathering, they won’t be on the same page.
It’s a lot to take in all at once, especially if you’re undrafted rookie receiver Jakobi Meyers. But one of the reasons Meyers made the team is the initiative he took all summer to get a leg up on his competition by learning as much as he possibly could.
“I would say it’s a lot, but I wouldn’t say it’s too much,” Meyers said of reading defenses on option routes. “Like, if you really put the time in and just study and do your flashcards, put the effort in every day, you’ll see it pay off.”
Many players, especially rookies, are passive and wait to be coached. Meyers seeks out knowledge. When a quarterback or coach gave tips to another receiver in training camp, Meyers listened in. He’s even paying attention to what quarterbacks are taught — he started his college career at North Carolina State as a signal-caller, after all. While he has experience reading a defense from under center, nothing he did with the Wolfpack compares to what Brady is asked to digest in those brief moments in New England.
“Completely different ballgame,” Meyers said Wednesday. “I’m just trying to listen in on whatever (a coach) tells the quarterbacks, and I just kind of try to keep that in the back of my head at all times so I know what they’re thinking, and I know where I need to be when I need to be there.”
Meyers’ summer has been as strong as any rookie wide receiver who has passed through New England in recent memory. But even after shining in training camp and catching 20 passes for 253 yards with two touchdowns in four preseason games, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound wideout isn’t guaranteed a role on offense. If he in fact doesn’t start, he could be used as a super-sub using his versatility.
Meyers split his snaps between the slot and outside in the “Z” role this preseason. He caught eight passes on 13 targets for 97 yards with two touchdowns from inside the formation and 12-of-15 targets for 156 yards from flanker.
“They always say the more you can do here, the better chance you got,” Meyers said. “So, when I came here, I wasn’t really focused on just learning one spot. I just kind of wanted to learn the big picture play. So, now I just kind of remember the little details from just paying attention to (wide receivers coach Joe Judge) coaching other players. I was able to just pick up on little things here and there, and it’s helped me become better.”
Meyers said it’s not difficult for him to learn multiple spots in part because he watches how veteran receivers handle them. A player like Julian Edelman also plays the slot and “Z.”
“I feel like the vets make it easier on me, because with guys like that ahead of you, all you have to do is watch and learn,” Meyers said.
Even if Meyers winds up taking a backseat early in the season, there’s so much uncertainty atop the Patriots wide receiver depth chart that he’ll probably wind up playing a big role at some point. Josh Gordon was only conditionally reinstated from a suspension. Demaryius Thomas is coming off of a ruptured Achilles. Edelman is 33 years old. N’Keal Harry is on injured reserve. Cameron Meredith is on the physically unable to perform list.
Meyers’ versatility will be an asset. And he doesn’t care which role he plays.
“They’re just both so unique in their own way,” Meyers said. “Outside, you’ve got to fight the sideline and the corner. But inside you’ve got to fight linebackers and little scrappier nickel guys. Each one has its own challenges. I wouldn’t say one is tougher than the other, but they’re both definitely — if you put in the work, you’ll definitely see benefits from both.”
Meyers seems to have a unique grasp on the challenges of playing wide receiver in the Patriots system. The last rookie who similarly kept his head above water was Malcolm Mitchell in 2016. Mitchell had a productive campaign and helped New England win Super Bowl LI before injuries derailed his career. Meyers has been willing to put in the work, and it’s so far paid off with a spot on the team.
