We are now just one week away from next Thursday’s NFL Draft, and it’s still very much up in the air where the Patriots will go with the 14th overall pick.
Although New England improved on their three major roster holes during free agency with the retention of Jonathan Jones at cornerback, the addition of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki as pass catchers, and the tackle depth signings of Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson, they still need more if they want to compete in the gauntlet that is the AFC East.
According to oddsmakers at FanDuel Sportsbook, wide receiver will most likely be their first draft pick. Here’s a look:
Position of First Player Drafted
Wide Receiver +200
Cornerback +250
Offensive Tackle +300
Defensive Lineman +600
Running Back +1600
Safety +2000
Tight End +2000
Linebacker +2000
Quarterback +2500
While we should take this with a grain of salt as we are still a week away and the draft board can fall a number of ways, here are three option if they do end up taking a wide receiver on Thursday night:
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, whom the Patriots have met with “extensively” during the pre-draft process, would be a slam-dunk pick at 14.
The Ohio State wide receiver played in just five games in 2022 due to injury, but had a career year the season before. He caught 95 passes for 1,606 yards and 9 TD in 2021, including a Buckeye record 347 yards on 15 catches in a Rose Bowl win versus Utah.
Smith-Njigba is arguably the best receiver in this class, so it may be unlikely that he’s even available for New England at their middle slot of the first round. If he is, however, his elite route-running and short-area quickness would allow him to excel in Bill O’Brien’s offense.
Zay Flowers
Speaking of Patriots fits, Boston College’s Zay Flowers has been on New England’s radar all offseason long.
The 5’9″ wide receiver was a part of the Patriots’ “West Team” at the Shrine Bowl in February, and began to learn the system (running HOSS juke over and over again) with O’Brien. He then met with the team earlier this month on a top-30 visit, where he “landed in Boston at 6am from an overnight Vegas flight and went straight to the [team] facility to spend the day learning the offense with Bill O’Brien on his visit,” according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Both O’Brien and Mac Jones will become exponentially better if Flowers’ skillset is added to the offense. He’d become an immediate impact player in a Patriots unit that desperately needs one.
Jordan Addison
USC’s Jordan Addison is the final first-round talent that makes sense for New England. The 2021 Bilentnkoff winner was long considered the top wide receiver in this draft class, but a sub-par NFL Combine has knocked him down a bit.
This shouldn’t scare teams away, however. Addison is an elite route runner and an incredibly cerebral player. His ability to read coverage and find leverage on defensive backs is what allows him to make up for his below-average speed.
O’Brien’s “win from the slot” style of football would make Addison’s skillset a fit.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @PatriotsCLNS for the latest up-to-date Patriots news!
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