INDIANAPOLIS — Long before Jakobi Meyers was winning over Patriots fans and landing atop free agent receiver rankings, he was impressing everyone who worked with him at North Carolina State.
Meyers arrived in Raleigh, N.C., as a quarterback but switched to receiver after his freshman season. The next three years saw him blossom into a tough, productive receiver who was a key contributor in the Wolfpack offense. That included racking up 92 catches and 1,047 yards in 2018 when he overlapped with redshirt freshman linebacker Isaiah Moore, who now is going through his own NFL draft process.
Moore, who reportedly impressed Patriots coaches at the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl, was asked Wednesday morning about which New England players he’d look forward to playing with. He mentioned safety Devin McCourty (who still hasn’t retired), linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley and, of course, Meyers.
“Devin McCourty’s a guy that’s been around for a long time,” Moore told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Jakobi Meyers, my former teammate at NC State, it’d be great to link back up with him. They have a really, really great group all around out there. Ja’Whaun Bentley’s playing linebacker there right now. … Great, great linebacker. I see a lot of similarities between him and I.”
Moore then talked about his experience with Meyers in college, and also revealed that his former teammate is great at video games.
“Kobi’s different, man,” he said. “Jakobi, his story’s crazy. He came in as a quarterback, transitioned to wide receiver and he just took off. I remember he made some crazy catches on me in practice. Made some crazy catches against North Carolina in the regular season that year. All-around great guy, man.”
“Great gamer guy. Really good at ‘NBA 2K.’ I’ll say that. He’s a great guy, man. I’d love linking up with him.”
Meyers’ looming free agency is one of the top Patriots storylines of the offseason. Some consider the 26-year-old the top receiver on the open market, a notion that Moore agrees with.
“He is. He absolutely is,” Moore said. “I’m not surprised (by Meyers’ success) at all. The way he carried himself at NC State. The way he attacked every day and worked. Every catch I’ve seen him make in the league, he made in practice. He made in college. So, not surprised — any of us at NC State — that he’s doing so well.”
In many ways, Meyers is a model Patriot. He joined the franchise as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and worked his way into a significant role. Meyers also is an emerging leader who commands a ton of respect in New England’s locked room.
Moore checks many of those same boxes. He was a three-time college caption whom Patriots coaches trusted to wear the green dot and lead the West team’s defense in the Shrine Bowl.
“I think I had a great week out there with them,” Moore said. ” … I built good relationships out there with them. Just talking to them, I think I was able to connect with them on a really good level.”
Moore is viewed as a likely Day 3 pick, so don’t expect to hear the Patriots calling his name early in the draft. But you also shouldn’t be surprised if he eventually lands in New England.
As for Meyers, his future with the Patriots remains uncertain. However, with free agency set to begin March 15, we likely won’t have to wait much longer to learn whether he’ll be back in Foxboro next season.
