In need of depth at wide receiver, the New England Patriots hosted several wideout prospects from the 2019 NFL Draft at Gillette Stadium as part of their efforts to provide veteran quarterback Tom Brady with another target. Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reported that the Patriots hosted several big-name wide receivers (A.J. Brown of Ole Miss and Deebo Samuel of South Carolina) on Thursday (April 11).
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Patriots brought in Baylor versatile wide receiver Jalen Hurd on Wednesday (April 10). He began his career as a running back at Tennessee.
The Patriots also met with Iowa’s tight end Noah Fant, who is considered the second-best tight end in this year’s class.
Patriots could use No. 32 pick to take a wideout
The Patriots have 12 picks in the 2019 NFL Draft, including the No. 32 overall pick, which they could use to bolster their receiving corps. The Patriots have Julian Edelman as their top target for Tom Brady, but they are looking for other players who could provide additional punch to their offense. The Patriots tried to sign Adam Humphries and Cole Beasley via free agency, but they were beaten to the punch. The Patriots also need a tight end after the retirement of Rob Gronkowski.
Brown, Samuel could provide instant impact
If they live up to their billing, Brown and Samuel could provide an instant contribution to the Patriots’ offense.
In 12 games last season for Ole Miss, Brown caught 85 passes for 1,320 yards and six touchdowns. In his sophomore season, Brown tallied 75 receptions for 1,252 yards and 11 touchdowns. In his two seasons at Ole Miss, the 6-foot, 226-pound wideout made it to the first-team All-SEC. According to NFL.com, Brown is the second coming of Pittsburgh Steelers’ breakout star JuJu Smith-Schuster.
The 5-foot-11 Samuel is slightly smaller compared to Brown, but NFL.com said he is known to be a ferocious and physical player. In his senior year, Samuel tallied 62 catches for 882 yards and 11 touchdowns). He also worked as South Carolina’s return man, recording 570 yards and one touchdown in 23 punt returns. In his college career, he had four career punt-return touchdowns and seven rushing touchdowns.
Hurd, for his part, is a huge receiver, owing to his 6-foot-5, 226-pound frame. Last season, he caught 69 passes for 946 yards while doing the majority of his work out of the slot. He started his college career at running back at Tennessee, but a head injury forced him to change his position. However, Tennessee did not oblige, forcing him to transfer to Baylor. In his career, Hurd carried the ball 637 times for 2,844 yards with 23 touchdowns and He added 136 receptions for 1,438 yards with 10 touchdowns in four college seasons.
