New England Patriots: 1 bold prediction for Jakobi Meyers in 2021

The New England Patriots wide receiver depth chart won’t blow away any opposing defense, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have playmakers capable of making a difference in any game.  One of those receivers is Jakobi Meyers.

An undrafted rookie free agent back in 2019, Meyers has risen up that depth chart and has become perhaps the team’s No. 1 receiver, even with the free agent signings of Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne.

As one of the bright spots offensively in 2020, Meyers became Cam Newton’s top target with 59 receptions and 729 yards.  He also threw for two touchdowns as Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels reached in his bag of tricks and utilized Meyers’ skills as a former quarterback.

Ironically, it was loss of Julian Edelman early in that 2020 season that opened an opportunity for Meyers and he took advantage of it.  Granted, the team didn’t have much at the position as 2019 first-round pick N’Keal Harry continued to struggle, but Meyers showed enough in that season to show he is a staple in this offense.

I had a lot of great guys in front of me, my first year I could name some potential Hall of Famers. – Jakobi Meyers

New England Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers a solid top receiver

Within his steady growth from his rookie season to Year 3 in the league, Meyers has gone from catching the ball from Tom Brady to playing in an offense with Cam Newton under center to now working with a rookie quarterback with.  Those first two seasons of change has led to his growth as a receiver and has him ready to further breakout in 2021.

Fortunately, he had a couple of New England Patriots greats at the wide receiver position to teach him and help him grow comfortable in his role.

"“I feel like I was playing keep up,” Meyers said, as transcribed by NESN. “I had a lot of great guys in front of me, my first year I could name some potential Hall of Famers. (I was) just trying to keep up with them, the level they established for me, having Troy (Brown) in the room, the level he established for all of us. It was just, at first it was a little hard to keep up with and maintain that expectation. But I feel like I’m starting to figure it out a little bit, and hopefully one day, I can reach the levels that they reach.”"

In having to earn his role on this team, Jakobi Meyers is exactly the type of player who typically morphs into a reliable contributor.  It’s too early to put him on that Troy Brown or Julian Edelman level, but through his maturation off and on the field as a player he certainly reminds of those types of players, which leads to the bold prediction for the 2021 NFL season.

As the team’s most productive wide receiver, Meyers will more than duplicate his 2020 stats with near 70 catches and over 900 yards receiving.  He won’t quite reach a 1000-yard season due to the tight ends the Patriots now have and the running game, but Meyers will thrive in the short-yardage game and establish himself as one of the league’s top chain movers.

In all, Jakobi Meyers will quickly become the security blanket Mac Jones needs in the passing game, just like Troy Brown and players like the late David Patten and David Givens were for Tom Brady early in his career.