If you’re a diehard New England Patriots fan like me, seeing the Patriots involved in any sort of conversation about drafting a wide receiver in the first round sends shivers down your spine.
Reminder, the team has not drafted a 1,000-yard receiver since the 2009 NFL Draft, when they selected Kent State quarterback Julian Edelman with the 232nd overall pick.
However, that hasn’t stopped New England from trying. After years of selecting bust after bust, Patriots.com writer Evan Lazar is now suggesting the Patriots give it one more go.
“Chris Brazzell runs a 4.37s unofficial 40-yard dash. I’m pretty close to saying something crazy about Brazzell and the Patriots at 31,” Lazar said in an X post.
He continued on his multiple-post endorsement of the University of Tennessee receiver before writing a piece for the team’s website in which he explained his full case for Brazzell.
“I’m ready to plant my flag on Brazzell being ‘my guy’ in this wide receiver class, mainly because he fits Drake Maye like a glove,” Lazar wrote. “At 6-4, 198 pounds, the Tennessee wideout posted a 4.37s 40-yard dash (89th percentile) and has a 90th percentile wingspan (80 ⅛”), giving him elite speed and a huge catch radius that he uses on film to win jump balls and snatch off-target passes.
“After his great combine workout, Brazzell, the consensus 52nd player pre-combine, should be part of the discussion with the 31st pick in the first round – he has game-breaking potential.”
Drafting a wide receiver in the first round after your franchise quarterback was sacked more than any other player in playoff history would be gross mismanagement.
Not to mention the fact that Maye just threw for 5,000 total yards (playoffs included) to a receiving core made up of fourth, fifth and sixth-round picks (Stefon Diggs included).
New England has a track record of struggling to draft wide receivers. In a year in which you have a phenom quarterback on a rookie contract, now is not the time to experiment with a first-round receiver.