6 Patriots Who Could Be Cut Before Playing a Snap

4. JaQuae Jackson, Wide Receiver

Another player who was in college for six years and will try and fight his way onto the New England roster is wide receiver JaQuae Jackson.

His collegiate career began at a small college — California PA. He didn't play as a freshman in 2018 and then put up 198 yards and two touchdowns in 2019. The school didn't play at all in 2020 due to COVID-19, but when they got back together in 2021, Jackson looked like a different player.

As a junior, he recorded 744 yards and 10 touchdowns on 58 receptions. He followed that up with his best collegiate performance, hauling in 77 passes for 1,178 yards and 13 touchdowns. That was enough to get the attention of Rutgers, which is where he spent the 2023 campaign.

Jackson's lone season in the Big Ten resulted in 361 yards on 22 receptions with just one touchdown. The numbers weren't overly impressive but the 6-foot-2, 190-pound wideout averaged 16.4 yards per catch which showed his potential to be a deep threat.

New England decided to give him a shot — proving the Rutgers love didn't leave with Bill Belichick — but it won't be easy to make the roster. Jackson is behind several talented wideouts after the Patriots made some investments into their suspect receiving corps.

K.J. Osborn, Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, and Javon Baker should all make the team. Jalen Reagor might have a shot due to his return skills and there's still Kayshon Boutte, Tyquan Thornton, and JuJu Smith-Schuster ahead of Jackson. He should be a practice squad candidate but he's likely hitting the waiver wire before seeing the field in the regular season.