I can definitely see BB taking a WR early in the 2012 draft, but it won't be Alshon Jeffery or Justin Blackmon, unless the Saints tank and go 4-12. Unless something drastic happens, I don't think Jeffery makes it out of the top 10, maybe even top 5. Blackmon is also a likely top 10-15 selection, and many had him higher than Julio Jones last year. But if they were somehow available to the Pats, absolutely I think BB would take both of them, especially Jeffery, because they are elite WR prospects.
The guy I really like though is Jeff Fuller from Texas A&M. He's a big, athletic and physical possession reciever, with good hands and body control. The thing I like most about Fuller is you don't need to make a perfect throw to him, you put it near him and he will go get it. He works the middle of the field well, and at 6'3" with great leaping ability he is a weapon 1 on 1. He doesn't have elite speed, but has enough to threaten vertically because of his long strides. I think he would be a great fit with the Pats offence, and will likely be a late 1st, early 2nd round prospect.
While WR may not seem like a huge need right now, I think 2012 would be the right time to draft one. Branch is a free agent and could very well be gone after 2011. Welker is also a free agent, but I think they will re-sign him. Ocho Cinco is coming towards the end of his career so we don't know exactly what he will contribute going forward. Taylor Price and Julian Edelman are still unproven at the NFL level and Brandon Tate could very well be cut. And we all know how complex this offensive scheme is and how difficult it is to learn. I would prefer to draft a WR a year early than required to give them a year in the system to learn. If Branch is gone next season we have Price to step in, then we get another young guy to learn for a year to take over from Ocho Cinco.
Luckily this draft is very deep at WR and we can easily get a good player in the 2nd/3rd round. Along with Fuller my next favourite guy is Greg Childs from Arkansas. He's super productive and just has a great ability to get open. I'm expecting a big year from him. The other top guys that will likely be available are:
Michael Floyd- ND
Juron Criner- Ari
Ryan Broyles- Okla
Mohamed Sanu- Rutgers
Dwight Jones- UNC
Devier Posey- Ohio State
For me the big darkhorse this year is Chris Owusu from Stanford. With Andrew Luck returning I'm expecting huge thigs from this kid and I wouldn't be suprised to see him push himself into late 1st round consideration.
Overall I think its a good year to go after a WR, especially with such depth and talent available. Even if they don't contribute in year one, at least they could get into and learn the system before getting onto the field.