Pats Pulpit
With Romeo Doubs already signed in free agency and a trade for A.J. Brown in the works, the New England Patriots decided against selecting any wide receivers in the 2026 NFL Draft. They did, however, add four players at the position as undrafted rookies.
Among them was James Madison’s Nick DeGennaro, a speedy wideout set to compete for a depth spot on the team.
Name: Nick DeGennaro
Position: Wide receiver
Jersey number: 23 (w)
Opening day age: 25 (12/29/2000)
Measurements: 5’11 1/2”, 196 lbs, 30 1/2” arm length, 74” wingspan, 8 7/8” hand size, 4.40s 40-yard dash, 6.99s 3-cone drill, 4.22s short shuttle, 36 1/2” vertical jump, 10’1” broad jump, 12 bench press reps, 7.98 Relative Athletic Score
NFL: New England Patriots (2026-) | College: Maryland (2020-21), Richmond (2022-24), James Madison (2025)
A multi-sport athlete at the Hun School in Princeton, NJ, DeGennaro was a standout both on the football field and the track. He eventually focused on the former, though, and as a three-star recruit drew interest from multiple FBS-level colleges. He opted for Maryland over offers from UMass and Northern Illinois, but ended up playing only seven games over two seasons. His production — three catches for 42 yards — all came in his debut.
And so, DeGennaro chose to enter the transfer portal. Within a month, he committed to Richmond and made an impact from his first season on. In all, he spent three years with the Spiders and in 35 games caught 162 total passes for 2,002 yards and 16 touchdowns.
DeGennaro could have entered the NFL after his final year in Richmond, but instead opted to take advantage of another year of eligibility. He transferred to James Madison, where he added 14 games, 28 catches, 500 yards and five more touchdowns to his college résumé. Those numbers did not help him get drafted, but they did pave the way for him to end up in New England as a UDFA.
Strengths: DeGennaro is a natural hands catcher who combines a solid catch radius with some impressive concentration and ball tracking skills. Despite lacking standout height or length, he has shown he can make catches outside his natural frame and is able and willing to contort his body to get the job done. He also possesses some really good long speed and quickness as well as a feel for tempo; he has shown some variance in his routes. DeGennaro’s contact balance also has been on display, as evidenced by the 35 missed tackles he forced in what effectively amounts to four seasons of regular college action.
Weaknesses: DeGennaro doesn’t stand out from a size perspective, and as a result of his frame remains a work in progress as a blocker on run and screen plays. He also at times does not play as fast as his clocked time (4.4s) would suggest, and needs to improve his route-running overall to maximize his speed. While he does incorporate fakes, there...
