Piece by Anthony Del Trecco
Undrafted free agents always seem to find a way to make it on to the Patriots roster. In his second year, receiver Jakobi Meyers made an impact in a depleted pass catching core. Meyers, a former quarterback turned receiver from NC State, became the number one receiver with Julian Edelman down for the count. Now that he’s retired, there is a lot of speculation of who the new slot receiver will be. New additions Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne will most likely take the outside receiver roles. Barring injury, Meyers should no doubt be the man for the job.
First of all, it would be disrespectful to put him on the bench after everything he gave the Patriots last season. Meyers moved around but seemed the most comfortable in the slot. He doesn’t have the Tyreek Hill burner speed or a nose for the endzone. The most important thing he does really well is catch the ball.
This includes a 13-catch performance on Monday Night Football against the Jets when he was straight up un-coverable. A breath of fresh air for a disappointing and inconsistent group of wide outs. Some may think that Gunner Olszewski showed improvement this year and should be in the slot. He did improve, however most of his damage was done in the return game. Since Meyers was on offense consistently, this makes him the best option.
Another way Meyers took over the Edelman role is with his arm. In a Sunday Night Football match up against Baltimore, the Patriots dialed up and oldy but goody – the double pass. It was up to Meyers to throw it and he was right on the money to Rex Burkhead in the endzone.
He did it again the last game of the year against the Jets and was able to hit Cam Newton for another touchdown. Those are the only touchdowns has in his career so far. The trio of Meyers, Bourne, and Agholor could be an underrated group to watch even though nobody will need to be double covered. We all know Agholor has the ability to go deep and take the top off the defense and Bourne can do a little bit of everything. Add Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith into the mix and this offense will be a problem as long as they have competent quarterback play.
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