Patriots Snatch Pro Bowl WR in Wild NFL Redraft

Last season, the New England Patriots had the weakest receiving corps in the NFL after a few years of bad drafting and free-agent misses finally caught up to the proud franchise.

The Patriots have certainly been hard at work addressing the problem this offseason, adding both Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins in free agency while also nabbing Kyle Williams in the NFL Draft.

However, it's clear that New England's receiving corps is still an issue heading into 2025, and had the Pats made different decisions here or there over the past several seasons, it wouldn't be such a prominent hole.

Jacob Infante of Pro Football Network takes us all the way back to the 2021 NFL Draft, when the Patriots infamously selected quarterback Mac Jones with the 15th overall pick. Infante recently published a redraft, and this time, he has New England selecting Pro Bowl receiver Nico Collins.

"One thing the Patriots have lacked in the last few years is a consistent star at the wide receiver position," Infante wrote. "After a slow start to his NFL career, Nico Collins has exploded with 148 receptions, 2,303 yards and 15 touchdowns in his last two years."

In New England's defense, Collins was a third-round pick for the Houston Texans that year, so it's not like the Pats historically whiffed on that selection. Thirty-one other teams passed on Collins, including the club that eventually drafted him.

Over the last couple of years, Collins has developed into one of the best wide outs in football and is coming off of a 2024 campaign in which he hauled in 68 receptions for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns in spite of playing in just 12 games. That earned him his first Pro Bowl appearance.

The 26-year-old would certainly represent an amazing fit on the Patriots, but it's hard to fault New England for not knowing that at the time.