The New England Patriots have a lot of question marks at the wide receiver position entering the 2019 NFL Draft. These three prospects should help add some depth.
If you think the New England Patriots are going to enter the 2019 NFL with Phillip Dorsett as currently their No. 2 receiver, think twice.
With Chris Hogan still exploring free agency and the reinstatement of Josh Gordon in limbo, the Patriots currently have 32-year-old Julian Edelman as Tom Brady’s only established, reliable receiver following the retirement of Rob Gronkowski.
Second-year receiver Braxton Berrios is a player worth watching, but after missing his entire rookie year, any regular-season production would be an added plus. With free agent pickups Maurice Harris and Bruch Ellington completing the current depth chart, the Patriots have to do something. They must do something.
With reports that the team was in on trades for Antonio Brown and Odell Beckham Jr., it is pretty certain the Patriots will make some sort of trade for an established name.
In the meantime, the upcoming draft is where Bill Belichick will attempt to add some receiver help and give Tom Brady more targets to throw to outside of Edelman. In need of an eventual successor at the slot position and outside receiver help, there are some worthy prospects at the position who will be available when the team selects.
Here are three of those prospects at wide receiver the New England Patriots must draft in the upcoming 2019 NFL Draft.
3. Hunter Renfrow, Clemson
With the New England Patriots targeting and losing out on former Clemson wide receiver Adam Humphries in free agency, they will have a chance to select a similar player in the NFL Draft and at a much cheaper price.
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As a clutch performer in college, Clemson product Hunter Renfrow has Patriots written all over him. Not only is he similar in size to Julian Edelman at 5-foot-10, 184 pounds, his knack for the big catch in championship games makes him the ultimate potential successor.
An ACC third-team all-conference wide receiver in 2018, Renfrow’s production dipped a little, but his overall reliability as a pass catcher will quickly earn him a spot in Tom Brady’s circle of trust.
Speaking to Tom Brady, Renfrow has dreams of playing for the Patriots and catching passes from the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback.
"“I would love to be a Patriot. Whoever gets me, that would be awesome,” Renfrow told the Greenville News. “I had a dream I was a Patriot last night. It was the weirdest thing. I went to sleep and…I was having a meeting with Tom Brady.”"
With multiple picks in the third round, Hunter Renfrow can see his dream come true.
2. Andy Isabella, UMass
Hunter Renfrow isn’t the only player entering the 2019 NFL Draft who would fit the role as the perfect successor to Julian Edelman.
If the New England Patriots are looking for a receiving prospect who can be as versatile as Edelman, they should look no further than a player who played right down the road at the University of Massachusetts in Andy Isabella.
With an ability to play the slot, play outside and return kicks, the UMass standout raised his draft stock with an impressive NFL Scouting Combine showing.
In leading Division, I football with 1,698 receiving yards in his final year at UMass, Isabella is an undersized pass catcher with some big-time talent and the Patriots have taken certainly taken notice.
But so, has teams like the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers. Therefore, to snag him in the draft, the New England Patriots may have to use their late second-round selection and/or certainly one of their three third-round selections.
With his speed and quickness, Andy Isabella is a must if he is available late-second round to mid-third round for a Patriots team that needs some talent and youth at the position.
1. Miles Boykin, Notre Dame
Yes, the New England Patriots need a big, outside receiver more than anything.
Unless they do something uncharacteristic and trade up to grab a player like D.K. Metcalf, a player like Notre Dame product Miles Boykin is a big receiver they should select with their later picks.
At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Boykin has a combination of size, length and athleticism Tom Brady would have a field day with.
In racking up 1,035 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns in his senior year at Notre Dame, the big receiver does need to improve on his routes, but his ability to out-leap cornerbacks down the field makes him a project Patriots fans will enjoy watching grow in the system, especially if he improves as a route runner.
He hasn’t shown much as far as yardage after the catch, but his size on the outside should be perfect in what the New England Patriots like to do with previous receivers like Brandon LaFell and Malcolm Mitchell during his rookie season with the team.
If he’s around in the late third round or even the fourth round, he is a must for the Patriots.
Three other names to watch
Bill Belichick doesn’t have the greatest history of drafting wide receivers in the draft. The last receiver that made a different on the field was Georgia Bulldogs alum Malcolm Mitchell, who retired after just two seasons in the NFL.
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With Mitchell being taken in the fourth round, the Patriots are likely to go with one of the players above in Day 2 of the draft, but if they use their first or even one of their second-round picks on a wide receiver, look for it to be one of the players below.
N’Keal Harry, Arizona State – Another big receiver with speed, N’Keal Harry is a possible second-round selection the New England Patriots could consider.
At 6-foot-2, 228 pounds, Harry has drawn comparisons to NFL receiver Allen Robinson. He does have some diva qualities that will be shut down in New England, but his ability to catch the back-shoulder pass will be intriguing to the Patriots.
A.J. Brown, Ole Miss– The Ole Miss standout who played alongside D.K. Metcalf is another late-first round, second-round selection the New England Patriots could take a shot on.
Not as big as Harry or Boykin, A.J. Brown is a strong, fast receiver who would be the ultimate pass control type playmaker Tom Brady and the Patriots would love. With Andy Isabella and Hunter Renfrow as possible later round selections, it would be a surprise if they go with Brown with one of their top picks.
Deebo Samuel, South Carolina – Size obviously isn’t everything to the Patriots. At 5-foot-11, 214 pounds, South Carolina’s Deebo Samuel is a competitive receiver who brings the same type of attitude and fearlessness to the field as Julian Edelman.
Actually, think a combination of Edelman and Steve Smith with Samuel. With an ability to return kicks and play in different formations displaying his versatility, he also has the makeup of the prototypical New England Patriots receiver.
A shock if the New England Patriots draft him high, but a nice addition if the do.