Nelson Agholor will be the Patriots de facto number one receiver this season.
The wide receiver position has been much maligned in recent years for the Patriots..You can make the case that the position has been under scrutiny since Randy Moss and Wes Weller were on the team.
Even when the team was winning Super Bowls the last six years, people questioned how good the Patriots receivers were.
The position once again came into focus this off-season with the retirement of Julian Edelman due to a chronic knee issue. Edelman was rock solid both on the field and in the locker room over the course of the last 11 seasons. Other receivers came and went but it was Edelman who was the team’s number one receiver and Tom Brady’s most trusted target.
The wide receivers came under fire last season for struggling to consistently get open. It didn’t help that Cam Newton was under center and he struggled with his accuracy all season.
The reality is, Brady hid many of the deficiencies of this group. With no longer there, the lack of talent at the position was glaring.
Bill Belichick made it a point to invest in the position this off-season signing veterans Nelson Agholor (2 yrs, $24 million) and Kendrick Bourne (3 yrs, $15 million).
Agholor has the reputation of being a “vertical” threat throughout his six year NFL career but the former first round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles is a lot more than that. He is a savvy route runner who knows how to get open and can separate after the catch. Agholor can operate out of the slot or as a split end. He had a career year with the Raiders last season.
Bourne emerged as a dependable target for the 49ers the past two seasons. He has plus hands and is smooth in and out of cuts as a route runner. While he may not be a speedster after the catch, he knows how to attack the ball in one on one situations and get body position on defenders. He is dependable in the red zone.
The emergence of Jakobi Meyers last season was one of the few bright spots of the Patriots season offensively. The former quarterback got an opportunity to play more snaps and he made the most of them. Meyers caught passes for yards and touchdown.
He will need to find the end zone more, but Meyers has the size and the skill set to develop into a solid number two receiver.
After his agent demanded a trade earlier this summer, N’Keal Harry has come into camp in shape and ready to compete. It has paid off thus as Harry has stepped it up and had a good camp. Harry has been a bust thus far in his young career but still has a chance to change the narrative about his career up to this point with a great camp and a productive season. The size and skill are there. Harry needs to gain confidence and start producing.
Gunner Olszewski burst onto the scene as a kick returner and started to flash potential as a receiver. He will get more opportunities to contribute in 10 personnel as the fourth or fifth receiver. Olszewski profiles as a classic Patriots slot receiver and will finally be given the opportunity to play more snaps.
Kristian Wilkerson, Tre Nixon, Isaiah Zuber and Marvin Hall will all battle it for the fifth receiver spot. Wilkerson has a great camp thus far displaying consistent hands and running clean, crisp routes.
Nixon is a rookie who good size (6-2 180) and profiles as your classic spread receiver today. He runs sudden and crisp routes, has strong hands and shows tremendous body in one on one situations in the red zone.
Zuber is fast and could be a weapon on gadgets and on special plays but he needs to be more consistent as a receiver. Hall will need a great camp to have any shot at making the team.
The Patriots don’t have an elite level number one receiver but what they do have is four receivers that Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith well.