After the first group of pass-catchers (tight ends) tore up the combine, the on-field portion of the week transitioned to the wide receivers inside Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night.
Last season, the Patriots took a step forward in the wide receiver room with the additions of veterans Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, as well as third-rounder Kyle Williams. Diggs and Hollins brought some much-needed leadership and consistency to what had been a turbulent position group for New England in years past. Along with QB Drake Maye, the Pats led the NFL in pass EPA and ranked fourth in PFF receiving grade, with an overall grade of 84.6 (out of 100).
However, the great defenses the Patriots saw in the postseason made life more difficult on New England’s wideouts, with their playoff receiving grade dropping to 63.2. There’s also some uncertainty about the futures of Diggs, who will carry a $26.5 million cap hit in 2026, and 2023 draft picks Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas heading into the final year of their rookie deals. The Patriots top brass acknowledged the need to continue adding high-end playmakers to Maye’s supporting cast, but finding those No. 1 receivers is where it gets complicated. According to head coach Mike Vrabel, it’s unlikely that the Patriots will be able to find that level of talent at wide receiver in free agency, so that leaves the draft or trades.
“They’re not going to be there in free agency. You have to try to draft them,” Vrabel said earlier this week. “That’s where a lot of them are. You develop them. Some of them develop, and guys, the transition in that position from year one to year two can be pretty special.”
To Vrabel’s point, Colts free-agent wideout Alec Pierce might be the only possible upgrade for New England. Pierce is one of the league’s premier deep threats as the NFL’s leader in yards per catch (21.3) with 12 deep receptions last season (tied for fifth). Obviously, Pierce would pair well with a deep-ball artist like Maye, but the buzz around the combine is that Indianapolis is working to keep Pierce from hitting the open market in free agency.
Then, there’s the smoke around the Patriots possibly trading for Eagles star A.J. Brown. Philly’s top decision-makers didn’t close the door on possibly trading Brown, but the sense is that a trade partner would have to meet a high asking price to acquire Brown, while the cash layout in his contract makes a pre-June 1 trade complicated from a financial standpoint. Although most of the receiver-needy teams would probably be interested in Brown, including reuniting the talented wideout with Vrabel in New England, it might not be easy to pry Brown out of Philadelphia.
After the big fish in the veteran market is the draft, which admittedly hasn’t been the most fruitful for the Patriots in terms of identifying wide receiver talent. Although the Patriots won’t be in range to select top prospects Carnell Tate (Ohio State), Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State), and Makai Lemon (USC), it is a deep wide receiver class. Starting from the backend of the first round into day two, New England has plenty of intriguing options, some of which are definitely in play for the Pats with the 31st overall pick in the draft.
Here’s a rundown on how the top receivers fared in the athletic testing and on-field workouts at the combine on Saturday night. Plus, some sleeper receivers into day three of the draft.
WR Denzel Boston, Washington
Boston was the 20th-rated player on the media consensus board heading into the combine. The Washington wideout has the makings of a modern ‘X’ receiver with his power-oriented style and elite downfield ball skills, securing 10 of his 13 contested targets last season. If you have a quarterback like Maye who can throw the deep ball with pinpoint accuracy, Boston has the catch strength and size (6-4, 212) to win any pass in his catch radius. He also can run routes and handle blocking assignments from condensed splits and as a “big” slot, which is where that modern label comes into play.
