The Patriots have seemingly been on a mission to find a No. 1 wide receiver over the past few offseason's.
New England welcomed DeVante Parker ahead of the 2022 season, acquiring the big-bodied wideout from the Miami Dolphins in a trade that was viewed as an effort to give quarterback Mac Jones a reliable option for one-on-one throws to the outside or in the red zone. It then added JuJu Smith-Schuster this offseason, electing to add a slot option that many feel has a higher ceiling than Jakobi Meyers, the Patriots' leading receiver over each of the last three seasons.
That hasn't been enough to give them a convincing No. 1 option, however, as Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders pointed at the Patriots' lack of a true No. 1 option at wide receiver in ESPN's look at each the biggest roster holes for each NFL team.
Here's a look at his excerpt on the perceived hole:
The New England depth chart at wide receiver is not quite as bad as has been advertised. The problem is that there's nobody atop it, just a collection of WR2s and WR3s with a couple of late-round rookies behind them.
Schatz' perception of the Patriots' depth at wideout is dead accurate. Parker was good last year, but didn't get the targets (47 in 2022) to make much of a difference over the course of an entire season. Kendrick Bourne fell off a cliff after a solid 2022 season (55 receptions for 800 yards and five touchdowns), posting 35-434-1 after Matt Patricia took over the offense, tanked it and sent the 27-year-old to the doghouse. Tyquan Thornton flashed but was a normal rookie in the Patriots system, which is to say he was unremarkable at best.
Smith-Schuster's contributions will remain to be seen, but there's a ceiling to what he can do in an offense. The 26-year-old has never been the No. 1 option in an offense, playing second fiddle to Antonio Brown and Travis Kelce in his career.
The Patriots did make an intriguing pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, selecting Kayshon Boutte after he slid to the third day following a poor 12 months leading into the draft, though expecting a rookie to walk in and have that profound of an impact is kind of insane.
In all likelihood, New England will continue to be on the search for their No. 1 receiver. Perhaps a third offseason can be the charm.
