Likely Receiving core: What do you think?

[Kontradiction]

C'mon. We can play with four slot receivers and five TE's.

Hunter is a legitimate deep threat. Not sure where you are getting that he's a slot receiver (though he has lined up there at Tennessee).

 

[tonyto3690]

If we spend a single pick on a WR I will be ticked. Especially if we end up getting Sanders.

Trade back/to the future and add some young competition at CB and S.

 

[ausbacker]

If we spend a single pick on a WR I will be ticked. Especially if we end up getting Sanders.

Trade back/to the future and add some young competition at CB and S.

Noted as today's dumbest comment. The Patriots should trade picks back as far as they want to (provided they find partners) given the amount of talent that will be available in the middle rounds of this year's draft. That includes Wide Receiver.

 

[Kontradiction]

If we spend a single pick on a WR I will be ticked. Especially if we end up getting Sanders.

Trade back/to the future and add some young competition at CB and S.

Even with Sanders and a Lloyd resigning, WR is still very much a need.

 

[bagwell368]

My only concern is that Amendola, Jones, Sanders and Edelman all have spent most of their time playing in the slot over their careers. I feel that Jones and Sanders both have the capability to play outside but they do lack experience.

I would be really happy to see us go out and draft a guy like Hunter who can add an elimate of size to a group of mostly 5'10-6'0 WR's. I think it would play dividends in the red zone area expecially if we are without Gronk.

Hunter runs sloppy routes. He's tall and fast as heck. He's tough against his competition, but very thin. He won't be a major contributor here if we draft him in year one. Unless we draft a QB to make up for deal Mallett, every pick we make needs to hit the ground running the next couple of years because time is growing short.

We have two other tall TE's, and a back-up WR that's tall (if he sticks).

 

[tonyto3690]

Noted as today's dumbest comment. The Patriots should trade picks back as far as they want to (provided they find partners) given the amount of talent that will be available in the middle rounds of this year's draft. That includes Wide Receiver.

No. Unless a guy falls and offers insane value, it's a waste to pick a WR. We can only put so many guys on the field at one time. Gronk, Hernandez, Amendola, Ridley need to be on the field at all times. That leaves one spot for Edelman/Sanders(possibly)/Jones/Jenkins/Ballard. Another WR is not going to do anything, especially in our system.

Even with Sanders and a Lloyd resigning, WR is still very much a need.

No it's not. If we get Sanders and Lloyd that is absolutely absurd. We can't have a 3 TE 5 WR set.

This obsession with offense is ridiculous. We don't need to bolster a top 3 (at worst) offense. We need more help on defense. Spending picks and cap space on more weapons is just stupid. I'm baffled at the Sanders signing with Edelman back as I think even that is overkill.

We don't need more weapons like the Colts all those years kept putting more money into the offense instead of improving the defense. We need a CB and S and maybe a DE.

 

[ausbacker]

No. Unless a guy falls and offers insane value, it's a waste to pick a WR. We can only put so many guys on the field at one time. Gronk, Hernandez, Amendola, Ridley need to be on the field at all times. That leaves one spot for Edelman/Sanders(possibly)/Jones/Jenkins/Ballard. Another WR is not going to do anything, especially in our system.

No it's not. If we get Sanders and Lloyd that is absolutely absurd. We can't have a 3 TE 5 WR set.

This obsession with offense is ridiculous. We don't need to bolster a top 3 (at worst) offense. We need more help on defense. Spending picks and cap space on more weapons is just stupid. I'm baffled at the Sanders signing with Edelman back as I think even that is overkill.

We don't need more weapons like the Colts all those years kept putting more money into the offense instead of improving the defense. We need a CB and S and maybe a DE.

I'd be interested to hear your explanation as to drafting a player who is a value proposition or in a position of need is a waste of a pick. No roster is complete. Almost every position outside of the elite in the NFL can be upgraded.

 

[Don Kipines]

The Patriots have exactly one proven NFL receiver signed beyond this year -- Amendola. To say WR is not a draft need is a little bizarre. It's probably their biggest draft need. They may be weaker at other positions, but at least they have roster options in those groups beyond this year. At DE, for instance, they have Jones, Francis and Bequette signed. At CB they have Arrington, Dennard and Dowling. At safety they have four players signed beyond this year, five if you count Ebner. They have guys locked up across the OL and at linebacker. DT even has two big names in Kelly and Wilfork.

But they have basically nothing at wideout. As for a rookie bumping Jenkins or Jones off the roster: it would be madness not to have some real competition at the position, particularly when a) Jenkins sucks and b) Jones has a serious chronic injury situation.

 

[Kontradiction]

No. Unless a guy falls and offers insane value, it's a waste to pick a WR. We can only put so many guys on the field at one time. Gronk, Hernandez, Amendola, Ridley need to be on the field at all times. That leaves one spot for Edelman/Sanders(possibly)/Jones/Jenkins/Ballard. Another WR is not going to do anything, especially in our system.



No it's not. If we get Sanders and Lloyd that is absolutely absurd. We can't have a 3 TE 5 WR set.

This obsession with offense is ridiculous. We don't need to bolster a top 3 (at worst) offense. We need more help on defense. Spending picks and cap space on more weapons is just stupid. I'm baffled at the Sanders signing with Edelman back as I think even that is overkill.

We don't need more weapons like the Colts all those years kept putting more money into the offense instead of improving the defense. We need a CB and S and maybe a DE.

1. Sanders isn't currently a Patriot.

2. Neither is Lloyd.

Right now, the only starting caliber WR currently on the roster is Welker's injury-prone replacement. Should Sanders sign, he'd be an ideal option at the Y. Lloyd is best served in the Branch role if brought back and offers 0 YAC. That leaves the team with Jenkins and Jones battling it out for the last position, the X. Are you telling me you're comfortable with that? Because I'm not. That still looks like an offense that wouldn't force the defense to respect multiple options outside the hashes.

 

[Boomer B]

I agree with the last few posts by Kontradiction and Don Kipines. We may be picking up WRs but we still have no one on the outside who is a threat. If we get Sanders we will still need to draft 1 WR and if Pitt retains him we will need to draft 2.

 

[Ozymandias]

Regarding Lloyd, the current opinions from the likes of Bedard, and Rapoport are that it would be a "shock" to see Brandon Lloyd return in a Patriots uniform this season. As much as I liked to see him return to replace Branch's role or some back-up/third down specialist capacity, the Patriots may not share the same sentiment. The ship may have already sailed on that one.

As for WR not being an immediate need, I think it is. In my mind, the Patriots are still one (or two) talented true outside receiver from having a full fleet for now and the future. Even if the rookie draft pick isn't expected to make an immediate impact this season, you'd still like to be able to have a contingency plan for the future. You don't want to be in the same situation again next season because you passed on the chance to upgrade the talent at a position desperate for it.

 

[JackBauer]

For those questioning tony's logic on this issue:

Would be okay going into season with welker, stallworth, Edelman, branch slater as our guys.

Pretty helpful, I think.

 

[Deus Irae]

• Amendola - slot WR who bounces out occasionally and has injury history
• Sanders (pending) - slot WR who bounces out occasionally, has serious injury history, is inconsistent and has 5 fumbles in 3 years
• Edelman - Training room resident who plays WR occasionally
• Jones - Injured WR who's done little to nothing in the NFL and has averaged a lower YPC than Welker in each of the past two seasons
• Jenkins - Underachieving, over the hill WR, who's not a slot WR but has also averaged a lower YPC than Welker for each of the past two seasons

Put me down as being in favor of drafting two WRs in the first two rounds of the draft.

 

[Brady2Moss]

• Amendola - slot WR who bounces out occasionally and has injury history
• Sanders (pending) - slot WR who bounces out occasionally, has serious injury history, is inconsistent and has 5 fumbles in 3 years
• Edelman - Training room resident who plays WR occasionally
• Jones - Injured WR who's done little to nothing in the NFL and has averaged a lower YPC than Welker in each of the past two seasons
• Jenkins - Underachieving, over the hill WR, who's not a slot WR but has also averaged a lower YPC than Welker for each of the past two seasons

Put me down as being in favor of drafting two WRs in the first two rounds of the draft.

Didn't you hear a deep threat/outside receiver is overrated?

We have 2 slot guys that are always injured in Edelman and Amendola. As much as people want to make them out to be outside receivers they've shown nothing but a few flashes out there.

If we get Sanders it would be a good addition but only as our #2 outside guy or wr #3 in our offense. We still need a true number 1 Demaryius Thomas type if we don't want to get shut down the same way we always do in the playoffs.

 

[Don Kipines]

We did pretty well without Demariyus Thomas last year.

 

[Deus Irae]

We did pretty well without Demariyus Thomas last year.

They scored 13 points in a loss to the Ravens. I'd guess B2M doesn't consider that "pretty well".

 

[Sciz]

We still need a true number 1 Demaryius Thomas type if we don't want to get shut down the same way we always do in the playoffs.

Way easier said than done. Let's see you give some names of realistic targets.

 

[Patsgofor4]

• Amendola - slot WR who bounces out occasionally and has injury history
• Sanders (pending) - slot WR who bounces out occasionally, has serious injury history, is inconsistent and has 5 fumbles in 3 years
• Edelman - Training room resident who plays WR occasionally
• Jones - Injured WR who's done little to nothing in the NFL and has averaged a lower YPC than Welker in each of the past two seasons
• Jenkins - Underachieving, over the hill WR, who's not a slot WR but has also averaged a lower YPC than Welker for each of the past two seasons

Put me down as being in favor of drafting two WRs in the first two rounds of the draft.

So in that scenario, the Pats would spent their 1st, 2nd and 3rd round (Sanders) picks on WRs? Has that ever happened in the history of the NFL draft. Kindly stay out of the Foxboro war room. You and BradytoMoss are like Statler and Waldorf hanging out in the balcony on the Muppett Show.

 

[Don Kipines]

I agree with the last few posts by Kontradiction and Don Kipines. We may be picking up WRs but we still have no one on the outside who is a threat. If we get Sanders we will still need to draft 1 WR and if Pitt retains him we will need to draft 2.

They do need WRs to develop for the future. If Sanders signs, though, that's a pretty good group for next year. Amendola, Sanders, Jones and Edelman can all play, they're all dangerous players with the ball in their hands, and Sanders and Jones have some breakaway speed. Not that a Justin Hunter wouldn't be nice, but as far as next year is concerned, they could definitely contend with that group.

The problem is the year after, when only Jones and Amendola are signed. Jones is a pretty interesting player. He ran a 4.46 at the combine and jumped 41" as a 215-pounder, and like Sanders improved in the NFL every year. If he pans out, the situation is less dire (esp. since he signed for three years at low$). But if his medical situation remains a problem, the cupboard is bare again in 2014.

 

[Don Kipines]

They scored 13 points in a loss to the Ravens. I'd guess B2M doesn't consider that "pretty well".

They were also the third-highest-scoring team in NFL history. And they were playing without their top receiving threat in that particular game. You don't think your standards are a little high?