Closely behind offensive linemen, the New England Patriots' rebuilding project is desperate for playmaking receivers.
Bill Belichick was notoriously bad at acquiring and developing wideouts. He infamously whiffed in the 2019 NFL Draft , taking N'Keal Harry over current elite receivers A.J. Brown, Deebo Samuel and DK Metcalf. Last season in free agency he let Jakobi Meyers go and brought in JuJu Smith-Schuster, with disastrous results. Another the Pats recently cut - Nelson Agholor - just signed a contract extension with the Ravens..
Now comes a rumor that last year's leading receiver - Kendrick Bourne - may be ready to test the waters in free agency.
New England could get immediate help in the draft by taking Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. No. 3 overall. Or, they could rely on the bloodlines of Hall of Fame receivers.
Thaddeus Moss, the son of former Patriots' star Randy Moss, just signed a contract to play with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League. He was undrafted out of LSU in 2020 and has spent time with the Commanders and Bengals without appearing in a game.
If Moss doesn't develop into an intriguing option for new Pats' head coach Jerod Mayo, perhaps another son of a Canton legend might.
Jerry Rice's son, Brenden, will attend next week's NFL Scouting Combine. The 6-3 receiver from USC caught 39 passes for 611 yards and four touchdowns last season for the Trojans.
The Pats' offense last season was a complete mess. New coordinator Alex Van Pelt has to figure out who the quarterback will be and also who will protect him. But also in the equation: Can New England find an explosive receiver?
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