Heading into training camp, the New England Patriots field a barrel of question marks at wide receiver. Julian Edelman aside, the team has yet to see consistent, starter-level play out of any other current receiver on the roster (which includes tight ends) in Foxboro.
Last year, the Patriots’ wide receiver group ranked dead last in average separation at throw on all routes, according to Next Gen Stats. (For further context on the stat above, the league average was 2.997.) The Patriots’ top three targets down the stretch with Tom Brady in 2019 — Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry, Mohamed Sanu — all return as the projected top three wide receivers in 2020 for Cam Newton. (Yes, there is a small chance Jarrett Stidham wins the starting quarterback job.)
Here is a look at the Patriots’ top projected receivers for 2020.
Julian Edelman
Last season, Edelman started all 16 games, bringing in 100 catches for a career-high 1,117 receiving yards. He remains one of the NFL’s very best pass catchers working underneath out of the slot. He’s dependable.
Edelman also led the league with 13 drops last season. Of course, his 153 targets (fourth-most in 2019) had a lot to do with that.
Frankly, at age 34, Edelman shouldn’t be relied upon to be the team’s No. 1 wide receiver. Someone else will have to step up to at least serve as a complimentary, quality starter. At the very least, Edelman should remain a reliable third-down target capable of making clutch grabs that move the chains, but he’ll likely need to be much more than that for the Patriots to succeed in the passing game in 2020, and he’s up for that challenge.
If Newton is to be the Pats’ starting quarterback, the dynamic between the two on the field is set to be an interesting storyline.
Will Edelman thrive out of the slot with Newton?
N’Keal Harry
Harry enters his sophomore campaign with a ton of pressure. There’s a case to be made that he is the most important player of this group, and one of the most important players on the team heading into 2020.
As shown above, last year’s No. 32 pick in the draft ranked dead last (143 of 143) in average separation in his routes out of qualifying receivers. Considering his skill set, he’s not likely to improve too much in that category.
However, Harry’s size (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) and ability to make contested catches on back shoulder throws could be an indicator of his ability to thrive on the outside and on contested slant routes, much like the way the lumbering Kelvin Benjamin (6-foot-5, 245 pounds) and Devin Funchess (6-foot-4, 236 pounds) found success with Newton in Carolina.
Newton is known for his ability to throw the slant, 10-yard hitch, and out route. His zip and ball placement on these routes are perhaps his best quality in the passing game.
In hopes of building a rapport, Harry is already working out with Newton, which is a good sign.
Harry projects as Newton’s X-receiver but he is more versatile than what Newton dealt with in Benjamin and Funchess. Harry will certainly be Newton’s top option on the outside, but he has the capability of moving into a ‘big slot’ role, and could have some success running reverses off of pre-snap motion, due to his quickness. Still, for Harry’s season to go as hoped, he’ll need to factor in as an outside receiver first and foremost.
Mohamed Sanu
After a strong game in Baltimore with Brady (10 catches, 81 yards, one touchdown in Week 10 loss to the Ravens) last season, a high ankle sprain limited Mohamed Sanu to a shell of himself.
The 31-year-old caught just 14 balls for 103 yards in his final six games down the stretch.
But after offseason surgery and a renewed underdog spirit, Sanu is set up to improve in 2020.
At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, he’s still capable of breaking tackles and garnering yards after the catch. As a slot/Z-receiver hybrid, Sanu will often work underneath, like Edelman, and be relied upon on third downs.
Like Harry, Sanu has also been seen working out with Newton, and Jarrett Stidham.
If Newton becomes the starter, both Sanu and Edelman should benefit from Newton’s rushing ability. Because of his ability to scramble, teams should play less man coverage, meaning Sanu, a savvy receiver capable of finding soft spots in zone coverage, should have more success.
Damiere Byrd
It would be a bit lazy to slide Byrd right into Phillip Dorsett’s role as the No. 4 wide receiver with deep threat ability (4.28 40-yard dash), but that’s essentially Byrd’s projected role, with the possibility of punt return duties.
For those who always believe Cam Newton was a possibility for Bill Belichick — after both Newton and Tom Brady were known to be leaving their teams on March 17 — it was fair to wonder if the signing of Byrd signaled New England’s interest in Newton, considering Byrd’s spent his first four seasons in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, where he caught two of his three career touchdown passes from Newton.
His most known touchdown catch was a controversial grab in the back of the end zone versus the Green Bay Packers in 2017. After the game, Newton hilariously referred to Byrd as “Little Cheeks.”
There’s some familiarity here with Newton and Byrd, which gives the sixth-year pro a leg up for the No. 4 receiver role.
Jakobi Meyers
Meyers surprised many in last year’s preseason, eventually making the Patriots’ roster as an undrafted free agent.
He was brought in 359 receiving yards on 26 catches last year, and at times, seemed like he had at least some rapport with Brady, but it may have been more of a “best of the worst” scenarios.
Like Edelman, Meyers learned how to be a receiver later in his career. He was recruited in college as a quarterback before switching to receiver at N.C. State after his redshirt freshman year.
It’s too much to ask Meyers to become the next Edelman, but there’s the possibility of long-term potential here as he sits back as a No. 4 or 5 receiver working in the slot, and on the outside, much like Edelman did (with punt return duties) from 2009 to 2012.
He projects as both a Z-receiver (flanker) and slot option with effective route-running ability and solid hands. He’s a developmental possession receiver who should contribute some in 2020. He should make the roster, but will again have to earn his spot.
Jeff Thomas
Perhaps the most interesting player of this group, Jeff Thomas’ potential, and past off-the-field problems, have been well documented this offseason.
At 5-foot-8, 170 pounds, Thomas sees a lot of work out of the slot, but he’s much more of an explosive playmaker than your traditional slot option.
He’s fast, twitchy, and agile, and also fields above-average hands. He’s not just a speedy athlete, he’s a competent receiver with Tyreek Hill-lite ability who can burn by cornerbacks on the perimeter.
Even for his height, he’s a bit brittle in terms of weight. Questioning his durability in the pro game is valid, as well as his desire to buckle down and focus.
Best case scenario, he makes the team, becomes New England’s No. 4 receiver, main deep threat, and adds a much-needed big play potential to the offense.
Worst case, he doesn’t buy in to the culture, has a bad training camp, and is jettisoned on cut-down day.
The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle. He has a good chance of making the team as an UDFA. Whether or not New England decides to keep five or six receivers on the 53-man roster could come into play here.
If the Patriots elect to keep just five wide receivers, Thomas is likely battling with Byrd, Jakobi Meyers, Marquise Lee, and maybe one surprise candidate, for two spots.
Marquise Lee
Marquise Lee spent six seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars before signing a cheap, one-year deal with the Patriots this offseason.
He brought in just three catches in six games last season before ending up on injured reserve with a knee-related injury. He also missed the entire 2018 season with a knee injury.
When healthy, Lee has been a solid No. 2 or No. 3 option. In a two-season stretch from 2016 to 2017, he caught 119 passes for 1,553 yards and six scores.
But even at just 28 years old, he projects as more of a veteran training camp body that falls short of the roster, a la Torry Holt, Reggie Wayne and Eric Decker.
There’s a chance he hangs on as a No. 4 or No. 5 receiver, but he has an uphill battle.
Gunner Olszewski
Like Meyers, Gunnar Olszewski snuck on the roster as an undrafted rookie free agent at wide receiver, but the latter made it for his punt return abilities.
With Damiere Byrd (and possibly Jef Thomas) now in the fold as an option at punt returner, Olszewski’s roster spot may now be expendable.
At 6-foot, 190 pounds, Olszewski possesses top-notch quickness, and is twitchy enough to believe that he could one day become a component backup slot receiver, but the Patriots may just not have the space on the roster to keep after training camp.
With many expecting Olszewski to be the next-coming of Wes Welker or Edelman (just like Braxton Berrios), it’s more likely Olszewski ends up either on the practice squad, or somewhere else by the start of the 2020 regular season.
Long Shots
Some roster long shots include rookie free agents Sean Riley out of Syracuse, and Will Hastings of Auburn.
Riley (5-foot-8, 178 pounds) is a diminutive slot option with punt return ability, while Hastings (5-foot-10, 174 pounds) is more of a traditional, possession slot receiver with past experience with Stidham at Auburn.
Those two have the best chance out of the long shots of jumping on the roster, but project more as practice squad options for now.
Other, such as Isaiah Zuber, Quincy Adeboyejo and Devin Ross have a very small chance of making the team, even if Belichick and company decide to keep six receivers on the roster.
