The New England Patriots added receiver N’Keal Harry in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, but that shouldn’t stop them from making another significant investment in the position in 2020. Bill Belichick need only peer at his depth chart to see that Mohamed Sanu’s contract expires after 2020 and Julian Edelman’s deal expires after 2021.
Harry may take a big step forward in 2020, but his rookie season wasn’t filled with production, with 12 catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski look promising despite joining the Patriots as undrafted free agents. But it’s clear the Patriots could — and perhaps should — acquire more young talent in a draft that’s touted to be deep at the receiver position.
So here’s a rundown of receivers the Patriots could target in each round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Round 1: Justin Jefferson, LSU
He’s a big, versatile receiver who may appeal to the Patriots in the same way that Harry did. But while Harry had a flair for the catching and leaping abilities, Jefferson does a nice job with separation through savvy route running. He wasn’t viewed as an elite athlete, but his combine performance proved otherwise. In fact, it was so impressive that it might have put him in a position to go before New England picks at 23rd overall. The one knock with Jefferson was that he wasn’t the top wideout in his offense. Because of that, he wasn’t always drawing the top cornerback on a team’s depth chart.
There are so many good receivers who may land in the first round. Baylor’s Denzel Mims, Clemson’s Tee Higgins and ASU’s Brandon Aiyuk may also be in the mix at this spot.