Patriots Draft Needs: Positional review- Wide Receiver

Would the Patriots consider taking Benjamin if he's there at 29? (USATSI)

Greg Orton (signed through 2015)

Need: Short-term: low, long-term: low-moderate

Positional outlook:

The kids deserve a chance to develop. Jim Davis/Boston Globe

Ask me in a year. The team made its moves to get younger at receiver last year, when the team drafted two receivers (Dobson and Boyce) and saw an undrafted rookie (Thompkins) also see significant playing time. In my mind, it's simply way too early to be giving up on those guys: Dobson and Thompkins flashed real potential at times during their rookie seasons, and Boyce has impressive talent as well. If you want to draft young receivers, you have to give them more time than one year to develop, especially given the Patriots notoriously tough-to-learn offense.

In fact, the Pats have a bit of a numbers crunch at the position now. Julian Edelman and Brandon LeFell are seemingly roster locks courtesy of their new contracts with the team. You'd also think Danny Amendola ($6.8 million in dead money), Aaron Dobson (last year's second round pick) and Matt Slater (captain and special teams Pro Bowler) are roster locks this year. Even if the Pats opt to keep six receivers, they'd have to choose between Boyce (fourth round pick) and Thompkins (undrafted rookie, played over Boyce in 2013).

With all of that said, if a special receiver prospect falls to the Patriots (something that's entirely possible with a class this deep), do I think they should consider it? If they think they have the chance to add a superstar receiver to this offense, than yes, I think it would certainly merit discussion.

Fortunately for the Pats, this year's deep crop of receivers makes it likely they'll have some tough decisions to make next month. After Sammy Watkins and Mike Evans, there's a crowded field of receivers (Marquis Lee, Odell Beckham Jr, Brandon Cooks, Davante Adams, Kelvin Benjamin, Allen Robinson and Donte Moncreif) who have gotten first round buzz, with no consensus on how they'll be rated come draft night. The result should be some very talented prospects falling into the second round, where the value might be to good to pass up.

Keep in mind, this is someone who's higher than most on Dobson and Thompkins and willing to give Boyce a "injured rookie year" mulligan. Call me a homah, but I think they'll be better in year two, and calm the fears of Brady being weaponless. However, are any of these guys good enough prospects to keep the team from considering a potentially dominant number one type receiver? You don't pass on a superstar because you're excited about the potential of a recent fourth rounder and undrafted rookie.

With the Pats having far more pressing needs at tight end, defensive line and linebacker, it would take Pro Bowl potential for me to consider a receiver. Size is slightly less of a concern now with Dobson developing and LeFell added, but neither have proven yet to be reliable go-to guys in the red zone. A big dominant receiver who is a constant mismatch would make life much easier on Brady, who spent much of last year needing to be perfect for the Pats passing game to have any chance at success. The size to be a consistent red zone target (thereby making the team's red zone offense less Gronk-dependent) should be a major consideration, making those type of prospects more intriguing than smaller, slot-type guys like Beckham Jr or Cooks.

Ideal fit: Kelvin Benjamin, Florida State

To put it simply, Benjamin is a beast. There are certain players whose physical dominance is obvious on the field, and the 6'5", 240 pound Benjamin certainly fits into the category. Benjamin's size alone makes him a matchup nightmare, but adding his amazing length, catch radius, and leaping ability makes him virtually unguardable in the red zone. He put this on display on the collegiate game's biggest stage, winning a jump ball to score the game winning touchdown in the National Championship game.

He isn't a burner (4.61 in the 40), but he has enough speed to make big plays down the field, where he is adept at going up and winning jump balls against smaller defenders. He has tremendous body control and great ball-tracking instincts. He further utilizes his physicality to be a beast running after the catch and also when blocking, something Belichick loves.



Your telling me the Patriots couldn't use some of that on offense?

Of course Benjamin does have a few flaws that could be particularly worrisome from a Patriots perspective. He's a bit raw as a route runner (keep in mind he was only a redshirt sophomore last season), and would need to be coached up in this department to play in a Patriots system that utilizes the entire route tree. He also has occasional issues with drops, something made particularly frustrating by how often he makes difficult catches look routine.

One theory that's gained some steam amongst scouts is that Benjamin has the size to play as a athletic joker tight end at the next level. If the Patriots believe that's the case, they could kill two birds with one stone, drafting Benjamin as a bit of a hybrid TE/WR. Benjamin would be an absolute terror attacking the seams in that role, and would provide the receiving threat that was missing from the position whenever Gronk was out last year.

Playing Benjamin as a joker TE would be a way to immediately use him and get the best personnel on the field, but he would also be in the picture at reciever long-term. The current logjam at the position figures to work itself out somewhat this year, as the rookies show signs of development (or regression). It's also unlikely that the Patriots keep both Amendola and Edelman for the length of their contracts, and Amendola could be cut next year for cap savings if he doesn't produce in 2014.

Other potential fits:

Allen Robinson, Penn State

Robinson has earned comparisons to Anquan Boldin. Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News

The name that comes up as a comparison when scouts talk about Robinson is Anquan Boldin, and it's easy to see why. Like Boldin, Robinson uses his big body (6'3", 220) well to shield defenders from the ball. That size manifests itself in the physicality he plays with, which comes out both as a blocker (big plus for the Pats) and as a runner after the catch. Robinson also has great instincts as a ball carrier, displaying a knack for making the right cut and picking up extra yards. Bill O'Brien took advantage of that at Penn State, getting the ball to Robinson often on WR screens (a staple of the Patriots offense) to great success.

The biggest knock on Robinson is questions about his straight-line speed. Robinson only ran a 4.61 in the 40 at the combine, a disappointing performance that hurt his stock. However, he alleviated some concerns by timing in the 4.42-4.5 range at his Pro Day. Robinson is a guy that plays faster than his timed speed anyway, and his Boldin-esque ability to win contested jump balls makes him a big play threat.



His skill set would make him an intriguing fit in New England. The Patriots tendency to focus their passing attack on the short and intermediate zones is tailor-made for a target like Robinson, who was coached up in a pro-style offense by former Pats OC Bill O'Brien. His ability to make plays despite tight coverage could make him a valuable options on third-and-longs and in the red zone. If he's available to the Patriots in the second round (unlikely at pick 62, but I expect the Pats to be very active in the trade market), he could be tough to pass up.

Donte Moncreif, Ole Miss

Yet another big bodied receiver, Moncreif would add a coveted "field stretcher" to the Patriots offense. He has an impressive combination of size (6'2", 221), speed (4.40 forty time) and leaping ability (39" vertical) that makes him a nightmare matchup for corners. He didn't run the full route tree at Ole Miss, which is a concern, but he displays excellent "suddenness" in his breaks that allows him to gain separation down the field. Moncreif was a major vertical threat at Ole Miss, and had success burning talented opposition in the SEC.

Despite all of these positives, most projections have this draft's depth at receiver pushing Moncrief into the late second/early third round range. He has the talent to be a huge bargain there, just as the similarly built Keenan Allen was a find for the Chargers last year in the third round. Like Allen, Moncrief has the talent to make those who pass on him look foolish.

Taking Moncrief would be a clear attempt to open up the downfield passing game more, as none of the last year's rookies are deep threats like Moncrief. Moncrief isn't as big of a red zone threat as the other names mentioned here, but his ability to consistently get separation is a huge asset that should translate very well to the pros.

Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt

The cousin of NFL legend Jerry Rice, Matthews is (stop me if this sounds familiar) an excellent football player who could slide in the draft due to questions about his speed. It's a classic case of tape versus stopwatch: the tape says 19 yards per catch in the SEC, the stopwatch says "only" 4.46 in the 40. That combined with this year's depth at receiver could push Matthews into the third round.

That would be a real value, as there's a lot to like about Matthews as a prospect. He's big (6'3", 212), with a good leaping ability and reliable hands. He has a knack for tracking the ball in the air, something which combines with his long arms to give him an excellent catch radius. He's also a polished route runner who did damage at every level of the field at Vandy while also displaying the versatility to play inside and out.



Yet, his timed speed is "only" good, not great, so he'll likely be around in the third round. He sure looks slow in those highlights, doesn't he?

Potential reach: Davante Adams, Fresno State

I actually like Adams game. He doesn't wow you with any single attribute, but he's a good, well-rounded player who gets the most out of his ability. He's got decent size at 6'1", 212, solid athleticism, and is an excellent route runner who can play both inside and out. He was also incredibly productive in college, catching 131 balls for 1,719 yards and 24 touchdowns as a sophomore last year, as he and highly-touted quarterback Derek Carr combined to tear up the Mountain West conference.

However, Adams did dominate against weak competition, and he doesn't quite have the top end talent of most of the other receivers he's competing with in the second round range. He has deceptive but not elite speed, something which could limit his ability to consistently gain separation at the next level. I actually think he's a solid bet to stick as a contributor in the NFL, but his upside might be limited to excellent #2 receiver, rather than clear-cut #1.

Is a good #2 receiver a smart investment in a second round pick, considering the Patriots current receiver situation? Not at all. If they can find a special, number one guy, it warrants a discussion, but they have too many bodies lined up at receiver to justify adding another prospect who may be simply "good".

Potential sleeper: Brandon Coleman, Rutgers

Never hurts to take a shot on a Rutgers guy, right Bill? Coleman is a huge receiver (6'6", 225) who knows how to utilize that size in the red zone. At Rutgers, Coleman did two things: make big plays and catch touchdowns. He averaged 18.9 yards per catch in his college career, with 92, 86 and 85 yard plays amongst his career highlights. He also caught 10 touchdowns in 2013, and had 19 career touchdowns in 26 career starts.

Despite the obvious positives, there are enough negatives with Coleman to drop him into the late rounds, if he's drafted at all. He struggled to beat press coverage in college, something he needs to drastically improve if he wants to make it at the next level. He also struggles on comeback routes, which New England does use in their offense.

Still, Coleman has a lot more talent than the average late round pick/undrafted rookie. If he costs next to nothing to acquire, why not take a shot and see if you can tap into that potential and turn him into a nice find?

High risk, high reward: Martavis Bryant, Clemson

Bryant is talented but very raw. Mark Crammer

Sammy Davis isn't the only Clemson receiver creating a buzz this year, as his running mate Bryant possesses an intriguing skill-set that has some scouts drooling. At 6'4", 211, Bryant is tall, lanky and fast, with great body control and a wide catch radius. He's a "high upside" big play threat.

However, Bryant is very raw, and there are some glaring weaknesses to be concerned about. One is his hands, as he had a concerning amount of drops and double-catches in college. Bad hands should always be a major red flag on a prospect, as guys who drop the ball in college tend to drop the ball in the pros. Drops should be especially concerning for New England, as Tom Brady stops throwing to receivers who don't reward his trust. Bryant also is an unpolished route runner who didn't run a full tree of routes at Clemson, another big red flag for a Patriots offense that utilizes every route.

Another serious league-wide concern about Bryant is his lack of strength. It's a legitimate question whether Bryant is strong enough to beat press coverage at the next level, something that should be especially concerning if more teams start imitating the Seahawks press-man based schemes. Bryant is also a liability as a blocker and unlikely to invite contact over the middle.

A name CBS sports uses as a comparison for Bryant as a prospect? New York Jet Stephen Hill, who is reportedly already in danger of losing his job after just two years with the Jets. Many of the flaws that have impeded Hill's progress in New York (poor hands and unpolished route running) are visible on tape with Bryant, and they are flaws that will kill any chance of success in New England. Also, just has Hill has underperformed based on his talent, Bryant arguably underperformed at Clemson, based on how talented he is and how highly touted he was as a recruit.

Despite all of this, Bryant is projected by most to go in the second round due to his upside. That's way too high for a prospect as risky as him in my mind, even before factoring in how low receiver is overall on the Patriots list of needs.



Agree? Disagree? Think I missed someone? Think I'm an idiot? Let us know what you think, either in the comments or on social media (I'm @therealnedbrady on Twitter). Be sure to check back in tomorrow, when I tackle one of the most pressing needs on the roster: tight end