How good is Kendrick Bourne?

[Kasmir]

Career year with 55 catches for 800 yards and 5 TDs, plus 12 rushes for 125 yards.

Shockingly, he was the #1 WR in DVOA for the season at +30.1%, i.e. Mac throwing to Bourne was the most efficient completion combination in the league.

He was also #1 in WR rushing DVOA at +140.2%

2021 Wide Receivers | Football Outsiders

www.footballoutsiders.com

Meyers (-10.7%) and Agholor (-1.3%) were below league average as completed.

Hunter Henry was 2nd in DVOA for TE's at +25.9%.

Looks like Mac could indeed really benefit from better WR's.

 

[Ivan]

He’s a good #3 WR.

 

[Patjew]

I was going to say he's a good #2/3. Same with Meyers.

 

[Family]

He’s a good #3 WR.

He can be more and I think they will find a way to get Borne more touches..

They should use him as a running back in certain situations.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Bourne is similar to Sammy Watkins on the chiefs. He’s ideally a big play #3 option that can take advantage of weaker corners while top options take the attention away from him IMO.

It’ll be said on repeat here during the offseason but Meyers, Bourne & Henry would all be better players with a #1 option. They have a chain mover, a big play threat & a redzone weapon right now.

 

[Kasmir]

I was going to say he's a good #2/3. Same with Meyers.

He's much better than Meyers.

 

[TheRainMaker]

What you've seen is what you'll get with him. Not a gamebreaker, but a dependable 3rd down 3rd WR.

 

[Sciz]

Receiving yards per target:
1. Deebo Samuel 11.61
2. Kendrick Bourne 11.43
3. Ja'Marr Chase 11.37

Catch rate (WRs):
1. Rondale Moore 84.4%
2. Hunter Renfrow 80.5%
3. Kendrick Bourne 78.6%

Average YAC above expectation:
1. Deebo Samuel 5.2
2. Ja'Marr Chase 4.4
3. Kendrick Bourne 2.7

He's not getting the same attention from defenses as top guys and his smaller sample size makes his stats more susceptible to outliers, but overall there's not really much more that he realistically could have done with the opportunities he was given.

 

[Brotherblues]

I think he can be a top shelf wr2 and he'll get a chance to show it if Mac makes a leap. Honestly if we had his clone and could bump Jakobi to wr3 I'd feel much better about our weapons.

 

[jah]

I agree with those who say he's a WR2/3. It seems there's still a lot of work to be done at the position, but he could easily be part of the solution.

 

[upstater1]

He's at least as good as the guy who just caught 4 TDs in a playoff game for the Bills, and I'm making that judgement based on his route running, his hands, his acrobatic catches.

 

[Mack Herron]

Narrator: Bourne is an excellent complementary receiver. He may be our best WR. But he lacks the ability to create separation on a consistent basis and he doesn’t make plays like Deebo or Chase. He would be even more effective playing alongside a player like that.

 

[RobertWeathers]

The simple fact a FA veteran WR was successful here Year 1 that didn't come from an E/P system prior is a miracle in itself. Bourne had a great 2021 here. Expectations exceeded.

However i'm not sure Bourne is more than a 50/800 guy here as the team was a 51/49 pass/run % team in 2021. If he was more he'd be a 80/1200 guy who gets 120 targets a year which puts him in the category of who @Sciz listed.

I don't think he is at their level.

 

[BTTA]

It’ll be said on repeat here during the offseason but Meyers, Bourne & Henry would all be better players with a #1 option. They have a chain mover, a big play threat & a redzone weapon right now.

He's not getting the same attention from defenses as top guys and his smaller sample size makes his stats more susceptible to outliers, but overall there's not really much more that he realistically could have done with the opportunities he was given.

Yeah. For the first time in a while, the table is set perfectly for a #1 guy. He doesn't need to be a top 5 #1 guy, just worthy of the X role. Everyone will have better results, particularly with Jones making the year 2 jump.

 

[chasa]

honestly year 2 of mac, the whole offense gelling, a revamped o-line, and a better utilized jonnu smith, I think we'll be fine.

Bourne was as good as he could have been on this team this year.

 

[Brotherblues]

The simple fact a FA veteran WR was successful here Year 1 that didn't come from an E/P system prior is a miracle in itself. Bourne had a great 2021 here. Expectations exceeded.

However i'm not sure Bourne is more than a 50/800 guy here as the team was a 51/49 pass/run % team in 2021. If he was more he'd be a 80/1200 guy who gets 120 targets a year which puts him in the category of who @Sciz listed.

I don't think he is at their level.

That's what he just did. In his first season in a new system. With a rookie QB. And in one of the highest run% teams in the league. While still young enough for the arrow to point up.

I have a hard time seeing that what he just gave us is his peak.

 

[RobertWeathers]

That's what he just did. In his first season in a new system. With a rookie QB. And in one of the highest run% teams in the league. While still young enough for the arrow to point up.

I have a hard time seeing that what he just gave us is his peak.

Exactly. His numbers will only go up if he gets more catches which means more targets which means a shift in the current offensive philosophy.

70 targets was 3rd on the team. It's not like hes not getting the ball.

I'm sure he'll improve as a player but a) that doesn't mean more stats and b) not to the point he is targeted as much as Chase because he can create separation and break games open on a consistent basis

 

[RobertWeathers]

honestly year 2 of mac, the whole offense gelling, a revamped o-line, and a better utilized jonnu smith, I think we'll be fine.

Bourne was as good as he could have been on this team this year.

Let's hope that was the issue but I don't think so. Let's hope for a Jonnu Smith who is more comfortable with the offense and confident in what he needs to do in the passing game.

 

[mgteich]

Bourne is a solid #2 WR.

Myers is a solid #3 WR.

Wilkerson could be an OK #4 WR.

I expect us to bring in WR competition. However, first resources must be spent at OT, OG and CB.

Agholor is our #1 WR. Obviously, he is one weakest among playoff quality teams.

HOWEVER, the offense will be fine if Agholor is better next year, when both he and Jones are in their 2nd year here.

 

[Sciz]

The top 10 (really 12) plays of the season according to the Patriots' media team are 7 interceptions, 2 Harris runs, and 3 Bourne catches.