Patriots Gameday: Jakobi Meyers on the brink of NFL stardom
When it comes to drafting wide receivers, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has failed. It really is as simple as that. But take a seventh-round draft pick like Julian Edelman or an undrafted rookie free agent like Jakobi Meyers and suddenly the coach is batting one thousand.
That’s because Belichick values football players. He values players he can develop. We know he absolutely loves players who can do multiple things on the football field. That’s why the development of Meyers has been so enjoyable over the past few seasons.
The North Carolina State product, who switched from quarterback to wide receiver during his college years, is not a receiver who will strike fear into opposing defenses with his size, quickness, speed or even strength, but he consistently breaks down those same defenses with his savviness and football IQ.
Bill Belichick compares Jakobi Meyers to a Patriots legend
In that respect, he is the perfect New England Patriots wide receiver. In comparison to Edelman, he has done everything Belichick and the team has asked him to do, including throwing touchdown passes. While the jury is still out on 2022 second-round pick Tyquan Thornton, the path to success as a receiver under Belichick is to work hard like Jakobi, especially when expectations are low to begin an NFL career.
"“(Meyers’) expectations were low immediately then as things start to improve, such as his blocking and overall route-running and overall instinctive savviness,” Belichick said, via MassLive.com. “It’s different, but kind of like Edelman in the development. Not saying they’re the same player, they’re not. But Edelman is a guy who didn’t play much for a while and then became a great receiver here, one of the most dependable players we’ve ever had. That certainly wasn’t the case in year two or year three as he was in that developing stage.”"
Randy Moss aside, Belichick has had a string of success with receivers like Meyers. He didn’t draft Troy Brown or Wes Welker, but each of those players made the team because of their ability to do other football things and then morphed into dependable wide receivers. Most may forget Welker was undrafted and kicking field goals with the Miami Dolphins before Belichick traded for him.
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Edelman got to watch and learn from Welker like Meyers learned from Edelman. That is part of that development and patience Belichick is talking about. There is also that hunger a player has to become a star in the league.
Jakobi Meyers is showing Patriots, NFL he is one of the top receivers
While Meyers is still under the radar when it comes to top receivers in the league, he typically leads the team in catches whether the quarterback is Cam Newton, Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe. He is becoming one of those players and a player the Patriots will need to pay as he is set to become a free agent.
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In just three games this season, Meyers had 20 catches for 261 yards and a touchdown. Despite missing two games, the reliable receiver returned last week against the Detroit Lions with 7 catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. He is making his case for a big payday and also showing the NFL that he is one of the best.
"“I’m coming. I can feel it,” Meyers told WEEI. “I can feel it probably about to turn over, but still got a long way to go. I’m excited for the journey…I’ve got a lot left in the tank and a lot left to prove.”"
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That attitude and approach to the game is like that of Edelman and we all saw where that path took him. Again, he is not flashy or a wide receiver who will take the top off the field, but a player who continues to be where he needs to be on the field. Look for that reliability and production to continue in Week 6 against a Cleveland Browns team down their top cornerback.
It’s gameday.