New England Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers was sporting a JE11-branded hat as he spoke to reporters on a video conference call, but the second-year pro knows better than to think he can imitate Julian Edelman.
Meyers, like Edelman, likely best projects as a slot receiver on the football field. But Edelman is one of the best to ever do it, and Meyers is still trying to gain his footing in the Patriots’ offense in Year 2.
“There’s only one Julian Edelman,” Meyers said Tuesday. “I’m not going to be able to say that I do exactly what he does, but I have tried to take little route queues and little things that he just instills in all the younger guys. Just how he works and little details that he puts into the game every day. We just try to pick up on those and use them in our daily lives.
Meyers loves having Edelman as a teammate. Edelman’s defensive teammates and opponents might have more of a love-hate relationship with the undersized pass-catcher, however. The Super Bowl LIII MVP was chirping at Patriots defenders in practice Monday, and he’s known as one of the more prolific trash talkers in the NFL.
“Just watching him day in, day out, the way he works, the way he attacks the game, the way he attacks other players on the other team, it’s a guy you love to play with, but hate to play against,” Meyers said. “I try to pay attention to him because he’s been doing it for a long time. I’d be blessed to be in the situation that he’s in.”
Meyers is competing to start across from Edelman this summer in training camp. His top competition is N’Keal Harry, Mohamed Sanu and Damiere Byrd.
