The Patriots might have a talented young quarterback in place with Drake Maye.

But Eliot Wolf and New England’s top brass need to give their second-year QB some pass-catching weapons this offseason if the Patriots plan on taking sizable steps forward in 2025. 

New England has not had a wide receiver reel in over 1,000 yards in a season since Julian Edelman accomplished the feat in 2019, with DeMario Douglas leading all Patriots wideouts in 2024 with 621 receiving yards this past year.

Beyond their NFL-leading $128 million in available cap space this offseason, New England also has a prime opportunity to add a blue-chip talent via the NFL Draft — with the Patriots currently holding onto the No. 4 pick in the draft.

Identifying and selecting a star wideout via the draft would give New England an affordable and effective young player to pair alongside Maye for the foreseeable future. 

Even though the 2024 NFL Draft was headlined by several young QBs who made immediate impacts on the pro stage, the first round was also littered with elite wideouts like Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. who torched defenses all season long. 

But unlike the 2024 Draft class, the Patriots’ odds of finding an impact wideout in the first round this April may not be a realistic option. 

While New England could potentially land a game-changing defensive talent like Abdul Carter or Mason Graham with the No. 4 pick, several NFL insiders believe that there may not be an elite wide receiver prospect worthy of such a selection when the Patriots land on the clock. 

Travis Hunter has plenty of appeal as a pass-catcher, but the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and two-way player might be better suited as an elite cornerback at the next level — with his value maximized as a more of a gadget player on offense. There is also no guarantee that Hunter will be available at No. 4 when New England does get to pick.

The next wideout prospect on the draft board is likely Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan — a 6-foot-5 pass-catcher who has been graded as a top-10 pick in several mock drafts over the last few months. 

But Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer noted on Monday that McMillian’s stock seems to be slipping ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine — along with several other projected first-round targets. 

“The more teams have dug into super-sized Arizona prospect Tetairoa McMillan, the more he seems to have slipped, going from a sure-fire top-10 guy into probably the middle of the first round,” Breer wrote. 

“Former five-star recruit and Missouri star Luther Burden III isn’t the cleanest prospect, either. And teams aren’t licking their chops the way they have in recent years over the Day 2 talent, either.”

While New England may not get great value using that No. 4 pick on a wide receiver, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah did tab two prospects who might be worth taking a flyer on later on the first round. 

“There’s a little area in the receiver position I like,” Jeremiah told Breer in that same artcile. “It’s the [Ohio State’s Emeka] Egbuka, [Texas’] Matthew Golden area—in the 20s. I love both those guys.

“I think they’re both pros, super polished. In a draft that maybe doesn’t have the star power, I’m leaning into the guys that come in with no operating instructions. They’re easy. … super high character, super smart, productive.”

New England’s next pick after No. 4 comes in the second round at No. 38 overall. 

The Patriots could conceivably package picks in order to move up the draft leaderboard once again to snag one of Egbuka or Golden. But given the number of deficiencies present on New England’s roster, the Patriots need as many picks as possible as they look to fortify their roster moving forward. 

New England could utilize some of that cap space to upgrade their pass-catching corps, although top free-agent target Tee Higgins may be off the board already if the Bengals opt to hit him with another franchise tag.

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.