The New England Patriots may not be done adding to the wide receiver room this offseason.
As Patriots insider Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston noted, the team hasn’t shot down the A.J. Brown trade rumors, and Perry added that the Patriots could go for “top-end talent” in the draft. One prospect with big talent and likely will slip out of the first round could land the Patriots’ way on Day Two, and Perry is calling him a steal.
That’s Louisville wide receiver Chris Bell, who had 151 receptions for 2,166 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Cardinals in his college career.
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“A target monster for the Cardinals, Bell — whose receivers coach was former Patriots wideout Deion Branch — was a threat to take it to the house any time he caught a slant or a shallow cross and had some room to run,” Perry wrote. “His breakaway speed was apparent against one of the best and most athletic defenses in the country when he shredded Miami for nine catches, 136 yards and two scores in a 24-21 win.”
Bell has a great frame at 6-foot-2, 222 pounds, and Perry called him a “physically-dominant No. 1 option” with similarities to Brown. The Patriots pick at No. 36 and No. 95 on Day Two of the draft, and the first-team All-ACC star could boost the wide receiver room and give quarterback Drake Maye a quality target.
“Why won’t he be a first-rounder in all likelihood? He tore his ACL at the end of the season,” Perry wrote. “But if the Patriots like their depth for the here-and-now at receiver, and if they’re unsure on a trade for Brown, might they be willing to roll the dice on Bell and his Brown-ish skill set?”
“Bell could end up being a steal in the second round in a draft that is short on high-end talent,” Perry concluded.
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