Malcolm Mitchell is the best rookie WR since...

[Rob0729]

Dobson had better numbers than Branch in their rookie seasons but he got those numbers by default. Lots of scrubs have had good numbers in New England in the same "by default" fashion only to get run out of town in the offseason (Reche Caldwell, Brandon Lloyd)

Dobson had his issues, but what rookie doesn't unless they are top WRs in the draft? But he was having a solid rookie season before he got injured. He did have a bad first game where he had a ton of drops, but quickly corrected that. He just never progressed after his rookie season. In fact, he regressed.

I think Mitchell in the last few weeks is showing he could be a legitimate #1 WR at some point.

 

[Bobsyouruncle]

Dobson got playing time by default because the Pats had no WR's with Edelman out. He got stats the same way Reche Caldwell got stats and he lost playing time to every JAG that walked through the door because he was a forgettable JAG. Mitchell is earning his playing time with at least 2 established WR's to compete against.

 

[stinkypete]

Dobson had better numbers than Branch in their rookie seasons but he got those numbers by default. Lots of scrubs have had good numbers in New England in the same "by default" fashion only to get run out of town in the offseason (Reche Caldwell, Brandon Lloyd)

Deion Branch 2002: 13 games, 43 rec, 489 yards, 2 TD
Julian Edelman 2009: 11 games, 37 rec, 359 yards, 1 TD
Aaron Dobson 2013: 12 games, 37 rec, 519 yards, 4 TD
Malcolm Mitchel 2016: 11 games, 22 rec, 288 yards, 3 TD

Dobson had a much better rookie year than I remembered. I assumed Branch was the gold standard for Patriots rookie WRs.

 

[SVN]

for those who havent read this about mitchell
Football star shows you can't judge a book by its cover

 

[Patriotic]

Randy "The Rabbit" Vataha in 1971. Fifty one catches in 14 games with a fellow rookie as his QB (Jim Plunkett).

Mitchell looks like he won't be a flash in the pan like Dobson was.

 

[sevengables_2207]

Deion Branch 2002: 13 games, 43 rec, 489 yards, 2 TD
Julian Edelman 2009: 11 games, 37 rec, 359 yards, 1 TD
Aaron Dobson 2013: 12 games, 37 rec, 519 yards, 4 TD
Malcolm Mitchel 2016: 11 games, 22 rec, 288 yards, 3 TD

Dobson had a much better rookie year than I remembered. I assumed Branch was the gold standard for Patriots rookie WRs.

Dobson also had the luxury of a dearth of talent at skill position for the Pats that year. I think statistically that Dobson has the upper hand but talent and skill-wise I would take Mitchell hands down at this point in time.

 

[RIpats88]

Mitchell has really come on the last two games. and the biggest test is he has earned bradys trust. Brady went to him in got to have plays. his emergence and Hogan really makes our WR corps solid.

now add lewis/white/blount. Just need to get the TE's healthy

 

[Chevy]

... Tony Simmons!

Tony Simmons Stats | Pro-Football-Reference.com

23 Rec / 474 Yds / 3 TDs

 

[TBR]

Dobson had 37 catches for 519 yards and 4 TDs. By this time his rookie season, he had 30 catches for 492 yards and 4 TDs. He got injured the last week of November in his rookie season and missed several games and got 7 catches for 27 yards in the last two games of the season.

Hard to believe he hasn't even been picked up by a second team yet.

 

[Rob0729]

Hard to believe he hasn't even been picked up by a second team yet.

He's on the Lions.

 

[TBR]

He's on the Lions.

For a few days back in September.

 

[WaterfallJumper]

Hard to believe he hasn't even been picked up by a second team yet.

He was signed but then released at the beginning of the year. Shame it didn't work out for him.

 

[Tuck]

Mitchell looks good since TC. That gross injury is the only thing that has held him back. Now things seem to be clicking. And I like it.

FWIW Slater had the same injury early in rookie season and everything turned out pretty good for him too.

 

[Tuck]

Dobson also had the luxury of a dearth of talent at skill position for the Pats that year. I think statistically that Dobson has the upper hand but talent and skill-wise I would take Mitchell hands down at this point in time.

Surprised at Dobsons rookie numbers. I didn't think he was all that good from the get go. Didn't have the hands and the route running was off. Mitchell looks much better in both departments so far.

 

[meatface]

Chris Harper's pre season hype

Sent from my KFSOWI using Tapatalk

 

[Minitron]

Good thing i bought myself a Mitchell jersey in the preseason

 

[fnordcircle]

Kind of a tangent, but man if Terry Glenn had a better head on his shoulders he could have been an alltime great. Smoothest route runner I ever saw in a Patriots jersey.

 

[ViperGTS]

He looks unlike any other rookie WR I've seen. Great hands (double clutching a bit here and there) and seems to understand his route trees and seems pretty smooth in and out of cuts.

Oh, and zero diva attitude it would seem. I think the sky is the limit for this guy. What that is, I don't know but probably just a shade below AJ Green and Julio Jones.

 

[Schmo]

He's looking good. He stays healthy, he has a great chance to become a WR1.

If he had caught that diving TD, I would be buying into this thread a lot more. It was catchable.... barely, but catchable.

Other than that, we desperately need receivers to stretch these Ds that stack the box. He and Hogan are looking capable of doing that.

 

[PScottman]

Other than that, we desperately need receivers to stretch these Ds that stack the box.

I would only add that the more critical skill then just 'getting deep' is breaking the jam at the line which seems to be one of Mitchell's strengths (oh, and he is a FANTASTIC run blocker downfield). This facilitates both long and short completion types allowing a deeper route tree and offensive formation utilization for the entire offense.