The New England Patriots have a major need at wide receiver this offseason. They also might require a new pass-catching back, depending on whether James White departs in free agency.
Demetric Felton could help in both areas.
Felton is a multi-talented NFL draft prospect who played both running back and slot receiver at UCLA. He's been on the Patriots' radar, meeting virtually with New England during the pre-draft process.
Felton was a hybrid player in 2019, catching 55 passes for 594 yards and four touchdowns while rushing 86 times for 331 yards and one score. He switched to running back full-time in 2020 (132 carries, 668 yards, five touchdowns in just six games) but impressed in wideout drills at the 2021 Senior Bowl, displaying eye-popping shiftiness and route-running ability.
In his top 100 prospects series, Yahoo! Sports' Eric Edholm wrote that Felton "figures to have a role similar to how the Patriots have used James White." Edholm also noted another Patriots connection: ex-Pats quarterbacks coach Jedd Fisch both coached Felton at UCLA and unsuccessfully tried to recruit him to Michigan.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick tends to value the opinions of his close coaching colleagues while building his draft board. New England also routinely targets Senior Bowl alums, drafting an average of 3.5 per year since 2008.
At 5-foot-9, 189 pounds, Felton is slimmer than White, who measured in at 5-9, 204 before the 2014 draft and currently is listed at 5-10, 205. He carried a heavy workload for the Bruins, though, averaging 22 carries and more than 25 touches per game as a senior.
Draft analysts also have compared Felton to Antonio Gibson, Nyheim Hines, Giovani Bernard and former Patriot Dion Lewis. He's projected as a third- or fourth-round pick.
The Patriots currently have running backs Damien Harris, Sony Michel, J.J. Taylor and Brandon Bolden under contract for 2021, with White and Rex Burkhead set to hit free agency. Their current depth chart at receiver features Julian Edelman, Jakobi Meyers, N'Keal Harry, Gunner Olszewski, Marqise Lee, Isaiah Zuber, Kristian Wilkerson and Devin Smith.
Edelman's status for the upcoming season remains in doubt, and Harry reportedly has garnered trade interest.
