Patriots Insider Unveils Stunning WR Prediction

The New England Patriots made their wide receiver room a major point of emphasis this offseason, adding several pieces in an attempt to bolster a unit that was the NFL's worst last year.

The Patriots added Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins and third-round draft pick Kyle Williams, not to mention undrafted rookie Efton Chism III. As a result, the competition in training camp has been fierce.

New England has 12 players competing for what most expect to be six or seven roster spots at the position, which means that a couple of bubble receivers may be looking for new homes before Week 1. However, Chad Graff of The Athletic has revealed a rather stunning prediction for the Pats' receiving corps.

In a piece where Graff projected the Patriots' 53-man roster, he had New England keeping only five wide receivers, which definitely comes as a surprise. Diggs, Hollins, Williams, DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte represented the quintet of players Graff expects the Pats to retain.

"No surprise, but this is the toughest position to project for the Patriots," Graff wrote. "They could keep as many as seven, with two of [Kendrick] Bourne, Chism, [Ja'Lynn] Polk and [Javon] Baker making it. But it’s hard for me to put Polk on the roster since he hasn’t practiced yet. Same for Chism, who hasn’t quite matched his production from the spring, and Bourne, who has been just OK in a group of just-OK receivers."

It seems pretty hard to believe that the Patriots will enter the season with only five wide outs considering how often injuries occur in the NFL. Typically, teams keep a minimum of six receivers, so you have to figure that one of those players Graff is projecting to be cut will have a great chance of making New England's roster.

Of course, there is still plenty of time remaining in training camp for the depth chart to take shape.