Sportsnaut
If you had to name the most disappointing position group on the Patriots last year, it would be easy to pick the wide receivers.
The team picked Ja’Lynn Polk in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft and grabbed Javon Baker in the fourth round. However, neither player contributed as a rookie and the duo combined for just 13 catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns. DeMario Douglas ended up leading all wide receivers in catches and yards with 66 for 621.
This offseason, the team invested heavily to improve the position. Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins were added in free agency, while Kyle Williams was drafted in the third round of the 2025 draft. As a result, what was once a weakness may now be the team’s deepest position group.
One can assume that Diggs, Hollins, Douglas, and Williams are safe. Considering most teams keep six receivers, that means Polk, Baker, Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne, and Efton Chism III, among others, could be competing for just two spots.
Nicole Yang of the Boston Globe, however, believes the Patriots will be forced to keep seven receivers on the final roster. In Yang’s updated final roster prediction, Boutte, Baker, and Polk all make it, while Bourne and Chism are left out.
Regarding this deep group, Yang offered the following:
If the Patriots only want to keep five receivers, the group will be Diggs, Douglas, Boutte, Hollins, and Williams. If the team wants to keep six, Baker right now could have the edge over Polk because of his upward trajectory during practice. The Patriots could elect to keep seven, though, making room for both 2024 draft picks and giving them one last opportunity to bounce back under a new coaching staff. The preseason games could strongly influence this decision.
As Yang mentioned, if the team only keeps five, it seems like Boutte will get the final spot after his solid summer. If six are kept, Baker likely has the edge over Polk. However, keeping all seven could be intriguing due to the potential upside and youth of the group.
Either way, it seems like the veteran Bourne is in serious jeopardy of making the team. Bourne has been with the Patriots since 2021, but he may be redundant now with Douglas and Williams having much better summers.
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