The Patriots have picked their direction at the quarterback position, and it will remain to be seen how quickly Drake Maye develops in training camp and on into the NFL season. Credit the Pats brain trust of scouting director Eliot Wolf and coach Jerod Mayo, too, for attempting to get Maye some weapons, starting with the ultimately failed attempt to land Calvin Ridley in free agency, and the picks of Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker in the draft.
There could yet be another receiver added to the mix, if the Patriots try to pry Tee Higgins or another disgruntled receiver from their current teams via trade. The Patriots still need to spend significant money to reach the NFL’s salary floor, and it’s possible that could happen with a receiver trade.
More likely, though, is that the Patriots enter 2024 with a good receiving crew that lacks a No. 1 star. And while getting a QB1 was the priority last week, in the 2025 draft, getting a WR1 figures to be the goal. (OK, maybe left tackle, too, but receivers are more fun.)
As NBC Sports sees it, the Patriots will target the consensus top wide receiver in the 2025 class, Luther Burden III of Missouri, a player who has drawn comparisons to Deebo Samuel, Ja’Marr Chase and Marvin Harrison Jr.
Luther Burden III Will Be a Top 2025 Prospect
Here’s how NBC Sports sized up the projected selection of Burden (with the No. 3 pick, and lord help us if the Patriots pick No. 3 again) in 2025:
“The new Pats are going to address their moribund offense and attempt to return to their halcyon days of 2008. For his part, Burden posted an electric 3.29 yards per route, 8.4 YAC and 20 broken tackles in the vaunted SEC last season. His 99.9 PFF deep grade is a near-perfect mark, having reeled in 7-of-11 contested deep targets with a 52% overall deep catch rate.
“While New England will evaluate Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker’s viability this year, the Patriots look to Burden here as an all-encompassing weapon in the mold of a Deebo Samuel who can rip off chunk plays from every level of the field.”
Samuel, of course, is one of the players who has been linked to the Patriots as a potential trade target, but getting a younger version of him would only help Maye. And one of the Patriots’ big weaknesses is the lack of a deep threat who can stretch the field—something that would not be a problem with Burden, who ran a 4.41 40-yard dash and was a five-star recruit coming out of East St. Louis High School.
Patriots WR Room Is Still in Flux
If Polk and Baker prove worthy of long-term roles in the receivers’ group, with veteran Kendrick Bourne and signee KJ Osborn a suitable No. 2-3 receiver combo and last year’s speedy rookie, Pop Douglas, filling a role in the slot, the Patriots receiving bunch should be much improved. But they still need a kingpin, and Burden is likely the best candidate.
Pro Football Network wrote that few star receivers come into a season as the clear No. 1 and maintain that status throughout the season, but added, “Ja’Marr Chase was one. Harrison was another. Luther Burden III could be a similar case.”
And at ESPN, draft expert Matt Miller tabbed Burden as the player he is most excited to watch this year.
Wrote Miller: “The electric wide receiver might start the year as my No. 1 overall prospect after an 86-catch 2023 season with 1,212 yards and nine scores. Burden has elite speed and open-field moves and proved himself as a complete receiver last season. I want to study his route running and get into his positional nuances more, but my first look at him came with a grade that would make him a potential top-five pick.”
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Patriots Predicted to Add ‘Elite’ Playmaking Weapon for Drake Maye