This First-Round Wideout Prospect Visiting Patriots Pre-Draft

One of the top wide receivers in the 2023 NFL Draft is taking a trip up to Foxboro, Mass., next week.

USC’s Jordan Addison said Thursday on “The Rich Eisen Show” that he has a pre-draft visit scheduled with the New England Patriots.

Addison, who’s projected as a first-round pick, previously had a formal interview with the Patriots at the NFL Scouting Combine.

“That went well,” he told Eisen. “… I think my first encounter with New England was different from everybody else’s, because I only had a couple scouting in there. It wasn’t a full room. So it was just a little bit different. The vibe was a little bit different.”

Addison was one of the most productive wideouts in the nation in 2021, catching 100 passes for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns for Pittsburgh. He transferred to USC for his senior season and wasn’t able to replicate those eye-popping numbers, posting a 59-875-8 receiving line in 11 games.

Despite that dip, Addison is viewed as one of this year’s best prospects at his position, joining Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, TCU’s Quentin Johnston and Boston College’s Zay Flowers as wideouts expected to come off the board on Day 1 or early Day 2. He could be an option for New England at No. 14 overall, though the Patriots have drafted just one Round 1 receiver during the Bill Belichick era (N’Keal Harry, 32nd overall, 2019).

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NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein describes Addison as an “inside/outside wideout with the speed and agility to work confidently on all three levels of the field, but lacking the size and catch strength generally associated with high-impact performers on the next level.” He measured in at 5-foot-11, 173 pounds at the combine.

“Addison’s route running features acceleration, dynamic steering and sudden turns at a moment’s notice,” Zierlein wrote in Addison’s NFL.com draft profile. “While he can get to the spot effectively, he has trouble consistently winning battles when he has coverage company beside him. While Addison failed to make the same impact he did in 2021, his usage at Pitt might be a better indicator of the type of role and production he could be capable of on the next level.”

Belichick also was seen chatting up Johnston on Thursday at TCU’s pro day. The Patriots don’t have a dire need at wide receiver, but their current group lacks elite talent, with JuJu Smith-Schuster now headlining a unit that also features DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton, Lynn Bowden and Tre Nixon.