Are Patriots Scared Of Drafting Wide Receiver In First Round?

We are far removed from the days of the New England Patriots being the big bad bullies of the NFL, but it’s still weird hearing some of the reports that come out of Foxboro, Mass. these days.

In the three seasons since Tom Brady packed his bags and took his talents to Tampa Bay, the Patriots have won exactly half of their games and gone through a litany of controversies on that side of the ball.

Whether it be public opinion on Mac Jones’ ability to be New England’s future at the quarterback position, Matt Patricia’s disastrous tenure as offensive play caller or the lack of viable threats in the offense, there have been plenty of things to crop up for Patriots in the last three years. There’s one thing, however, that has been a long-running issue dating back to the early days of Brady.

The Patriots need to figure out their wide receiver situation.

It appears they know that, but according to Chad Graff of The Athletic, they’re unwilling to be spurned in the way they have in the past.

“It’s no secret that wide receiver is one of the Patriots’ biggest needs this offseason,” Graff wrote Thursday. “The group underperformed last season, and New England’s best player at the position, Jakobi Meyers, is set to become a free agent in two weeks. But one former team official who requested anonymity so as to avoid facing repercussions from management said the Patriots’ preference at this point would be to address the position with a veteran rather than using their first-round pick, No. 14 overall, on a receiver.”

New England’s history of taking early swings at the wide receiver position has resulted in near-unanimous results. Hint: they haven’t been good.

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Since Belichick took over in 2000, the Patriots have chosen just six wide receivers within the first two rounds of the NFL draft. Deion Branch was the only one of those players to carve out a consistent role on offense, while N’Keal Harry — the lone first rounder, may have had the worst tenure of the bunch.

So yes, the Patriots have a right to be hesitant when it comes to taking an early wideout. Allowing their lack of success to prevent them from doing it all together? That sounds like an issue that could bleed into other areas of team building.

The Patriots have met with some of the top wide receiver prospects at the NFL Scouting Combine, perhaps signaling a willingness to pull the trigger come April. There’s no doubt that they’ll need to make some moves, however, as the room could be depleted by the end of free agency.